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Topics: Prince Harry, Celebrity, Royal Family, UK News
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Prince Harry, Celebrity, Royal Family, UK News
The chairwoman of a charity Prince Harry recently resigned from has made some blistering claims about the royal, alleging he was 'involved' in a 'cover-up' of bullying claims.
Last week, Prince Harry announced his resignation from a charity named Sentebale he set up 20 years ago back in 2006.
He set up Sentebale in Lesotho, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, in honour of his later mother, Princess Diana, in order to help children and young people particularly those with HIV and Aids alongside Prince Seeiso.
However, the pair have since stepped down from patrons of the charity after a dispute with the chairwoman of the board, Dr Sophie Chandauka, having requested her resignation.
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Dr Chandauka is now accusing the 'toxic' Duke of Sussex of trying to cover up bullying claims.
In an interview with Sky News that was broadcast on Sunday (30 March), Dr Chandauka has said she wants to 'set the record straight'.
Alleging the Duke of Sussex attempted to cover up her complaints of bullying, harassment and misogyny within the charity, she said: "Prince Harry interfered in the investigation of that and the senior independent director who should have taken care of it was the very same person who then delivered the news to me that I was going to be removed by the board.
“So it’s a cover-up and the prince is involved."
She also told the Financial Times: "The number one risk for this organisation was the toxicity of its lead patron’s brand.
"When you start to interview people, they’re asking questions about, well, these mixed messages around the patron."
She claimed tensions within the charity arose because the way it was run 'was no longer appropriate... in a post-Black Lives Matter world', adding that a push for 'locally led initiatives' caused tension with UK-based staff.
In a statement issued last week by both Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, the pair explained: "With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as Patrons of the organisation until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same.
"It is devastating that the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation."
Dr Chandauka has also shared her own statement, saying she would not be intimidated, adding: "For me, this is not a vanity project from which I can resign when I am called to account.
"There are people in this world who behave as though they are above the law and mistreat people, and then play the victim card and use the very press they disdain to harm people who have the courage to challenge their conduct."
Dr Chandauka also claimed she had reported trustees to the Charity Commission and that the High Court had issued an emergency injunction to prevent her removal.
She added: "Beneath all the victim narrative and fiction that has been syndicated to press is the story of a woman who dared to blow the whistle about issues of poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir [misogyny directed against Black women] - and the cover-up that ensued."
A source close to the former trustees of the Sentebale charity told Sky Dr Chandauka's claims that she was bullied and harassed as 'completely baseless'.
A source said the ex-trustees 'fully expected this publicity stunt and reached their collective decision with this in mind. They remain firm in their resignation, for the good of the charity, and look forward to the adjudication of the truth'.
A spokesperson for the Charity Commission previously told Sky News it is 'aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale'.
They added: "We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps."
Tyla has reached out to Prince Harry's representatives for comment.