Accusations made in opposition to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle by the boss of his charity are ‘extremely deceptive’ and ‘baseless’, a supply has advised MailOnline.
In an explosive interview, Sentebale trustee chair Dr Sophie Chandauka claimed donors dropped their assist due to the prince’s popularity after he stop his royal duties.
She additionally alleged that Harry ‘unleashed the Sussex machine’ on her in a case of ‘harassment and bullying at scale’ after she tried to herald modifications.
However royal sources near the Duke have hit again calling accusations that he had personally harassed and bullied her a ‘deflection’ and that the resignation of the trustees and him was as a ‘direct results of the chair’s mismanagement’.
Claims that the prince’s requests had been nodded by way of by acolytes on the board of trustees had been additionally described as ‘utterly baseless’.
Dr Chandauka claimed the prince practically derailed a polo match to boost funds for Sentebale in April final 12 months by insisting on bringing a Netflix digicam crew.
She additionally advised how Meghan had stated she wouldn’t attend the occasion – however turned up with a celeb pal, now revealed to be tennis star Serena Williams, and brought about chaotic scenes when the trophy was introduced.
The incident, the place the duchess appeared to usher the charity boss away from her husband on stage, led to media criticism of Meghan’s behaviour.
In a bombshell new interview, Sentebale chair Dr Sophie Chandauka has made a number of damaging claims in opposition to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, calling their model ‘poisonous’
Dr Chandauka (left) with Prince Harry attending a Sentebale reception and panel dialogue at The Saxon Lodge in Johannesburg, South Africa — October 3, 2024
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in the course of the Royal Salute Polo Problem, to learn Sentebale, on the USPA Nationwide Polo Middle in Wellington, Florida — April 12, 2024
Dr Chandauka advised Sky Information’s Trevor Phillips that Harry ‘requested me to subject some type of an announcement in assist of the duchess’ – however she refused.
‘Not as a result of I did not care concerning the duchess, however as a result of I knew what would occur if I did so, primary. And quantity two, as a result of we can’t be an extension of the Sussexes,’ she stated.
She accused Meghan of inflicting ‘disruption’ after turning up at brief discover and bringing her ‘very well-known pal’ Williams.
‘We’d have been actually excited had we recognized forward of time, however we did not,’ she stated.
‘And so the choreography went badly on stage as a result of we had too many individuals on stage.’
Harry and Meghan have refused to remark publicly on the row, which exploded final week when it emerged he was to step down from the organisation he based practically 20 years in the past.
Describing the state of affairs when Harry insisted the Netflix crew be part of him at a fundraising occasion, Dr Chandauka stated that they had secured using a polo floor in Miami at a ‘materials low cost’.
However a few month earlier than the occasion, Harry known as the staff and allegedly stated: ‘I am doing a Netflix present, and I might like to convey a digicam crew in order that I can embody some footage on this present.’
Meghan Markle speaks with Serena Williams on the 2024 Royal Salute Polo Problem for Sentebale on April 12, 2024, in Wellington, Florida
Dr Chandauka (third from proper) claimed the Sussexes’ model had develop into ‘poisonous’ (pictured on the Royal Salute Polo Problem held in Florida in April final 12 months to boost funds for Sentebale)
Prince Harry and Dr Chandauka in the course of the Royal Salute Polo Problem to learn Sentebale, on the USPA Nationwide Polo Middle in Wellington, Florida — April 12, 2024
Harry and Meghan kiss after the Duchess introduced the trophy to her husband after his staff the Royal Salute Sentebale Crew defeated the Grand Champions Crew — April 12 ,2024
The Duke of Sussex performs in a polo match in the course of the Royal Salute Polo Problem at The USPA Nationwide Polo Middle in Wellington, Florida — April 12, 2024
Dr Chandauka stated: ‘I stated, “You may’t be doing the issues with out in search of consent from the property house owners, the sponsors, all of the visitors”.
‘No one signed up into being on a Netflix present and so we have now this dialogue about the necessity to discuss to all people, we provide you with draft agreements and, in fact, the venue proprietor says, “That is now a business enterprise, so listed here are my phrases”.
‘We could not afford it so now we misplaced the venue, so we went to a different venue, and we had been fortunate sufficient that by way of Prince Harry’s connections and a pal of his there was one other household that was ready to host.
‘The present went on, however there was loads of disruption. Lots of people had been sad as a result of we would labored on this for months.’
Sentebale, which Harry co-founded in reminiscence of his late mom Princess Diana with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006, dedicates itself to tackling poverty and Aids in each Lesotho and Botswana.
But it surely was plunged into chaos when he stop final week in solidarity along with his co-founder and the complete board of trustees following a relationship breakdown with Zimbabwean lawyer Dr Chandauka, who refused their request to step down.
Allegations of bullying in opposition to Dr Chandauka then adopted, which she denies.
She stated ‘the one purpose’ she gave yesterday’s interview was as a result of ‘Prince Harry authorised the discharge of a harmful piece of stories to the skin world with out informing me or my nation administrators, or my government director’.
The chair continued: ‘And might you think about what that assault has achieved for me, on me and the 540 people within the Sentebale organisations and their household? That’s an instance of harassment and bullying at scale.’
She additionally blasted the ‘toxicity’ of the Sussex ‘model’ and went on to accuse the duke of making an attempt to eject her by way of ‘bullying’ and the ‘unleashing of the Sussex machine’.
She stated yesterday {that a} evaluation of the charity’s funds in July 2023 after she grew to become chairman revealed donors started departing after Harry and Meghan left the Royal Household.
‘If you take a look at the board minutes, although, there isn’t a dialogue about what’s occurring with respect to a few of our most important funders,’ she stated.
‘After which whenever you talk about with the senior government staff and ask why there is not a dialog about this, the reply is it is actually tough to have this dialog as a result of … it is an uncomfortable dialog to have with Prince Harry within the room.’
The dispute between the board and chairman is known to have arisen round a choice to focus fundraising in Africa.
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey, who served as a trustee for 20 years, described Dr Chandauka as ‘virtually dictatorial’. And the 5 trustees who resigned stated the ‘devastating’ resolution was the ‘results of our loss in belief and confidence within the chair of the board’.
Dr Chandauka claims that, earlier than the charity Polo occasion in 2024, Meghan confirmed she wouldn’t be attending – earlier than exhibiting up with Serena Williams
Dr Chandauka speaks in the course of the Sentebale ‘Potential is Ready’ panel dialogue on the Ritz Carlton Lodge in Miami Seashore, Florida — April 11, 2024
Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and Prince Harry attend a welcome occasion on the Mamohato Youngsters’s Centre in Maseru, Lesotho — October 1, 2024
Whereas a spokesman for the Sussexes didn’t touch upon the claims, it’s understood they think about that Dr Chandauka’s accusations that he had personally harassed and bullied her are a ‘deflection’ and that the resignation of the trustees and him was as a ‘direct results of the chair’s mismanagement’.
Sources additionally insist Sentebale was in a secure monetary place when she was appointed in 2023 and recommend that blaming any loss in income on Harry leaving the UK in 2020 is ‘baseless and inaccurate’, not least as a result of the charity was ‘virtually completely reliant’ on using his title for fundraising.
In the meantime, sources have stated Dr Chandauka’s account of the debacle round final 12 months’s polo match in Miami is ‘extremely deceptive’.
They recommend the unique venue had already modified its phrases, leading to an increase in prices, which meant the charity had no choice however to discover a new web site with the assistance of Harry’s pal and fellow polo participant, Nacho Figueras.
They are saying the choice had nothing to do with Netflix.
A supply acquainted with occasions round Harry’s resignation additionally flatly denied Dr Chandauka’s model of occasions about how the story was leaked final week, saying she was knowledgeable of his resolution by letter on March 10.
It’s understood that trustees privately requested her to think about her place attributable to their ‘lack of belief and confidence in her as a pacesetter’, particularly what they are saying is the monetary place she put the charity in.
