Prince Harry is among those involved in a row at a children’s charity he founded to be criticised by the Charity Commission.

The regulator has concluded its compliance case into a “damaging internal dispute” at the charity, which works with children and young people in South Africa and was founded by the royal almost 20 years ago.

This found mismanagement at the charity in relation to a lack of clarity over the powers of its chair and in its handling of internal complaints.

The row emerged two years ago over the charity’s then trustees’ plan to implement a new fundraising strategy in the United States. This involved the charity’s chair Dr Sophie Chandauka in dispute with some trustees at the charity and its patron Prince Harry.

In March the royal, his co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, and its trustees quit, with Chandauka claiming she had been the victim of bullying and harassment.

The Commission says it has “criticised all parties to the dispute for allowing it to play out publicly and further concluded that the then trustees’ failure to resolve disputes internally severely impacted the charity’s reputation and risked undermining public trust in charities more generally”.

It added that “it was not satisfied that public statements made to the media and public criticism made in television interviews, were conducted in a way that served the charity’s best interests”.

The regulator assessed concerns surrounding the row at the charity after being first alerted in February this year. It opened a regulatory compliance case two months later.

This found that delegation of powers to the chair “was a confusing, convoluted and poorly governed process, with a lack of clearly defined delegations over time”.

Trustees also failed to have proper processes in place to investigate internal complaints and resolve disputes.

Despite the governance concerns raised the regulator found no evidence of bullying and harassment, including misogyny and misogynoir.

It also found no evidence of “over-reach” by Prince Harry in his role as patron.

“But the Commission is critical of the charity’s lack of clarity in delegations to the chair which allowed for misunderstandings to occur,” it added.

The charity has been issued with a regulatory action plan to tackle governance weaknesses and has been asked to “have a clearly defined patron role set out in writing”.

“Sentebale’s problems played out in the public eye, enabling a damaging dispute to harm the charity’s reputation, risk overshadowing its many achievements, and jeopardising the charity’s ability to deliver for the very beneficiaries it was created to serve,” said Charity Commission chief executive David Holdsworth.

“This case highlights what can happen when there are gaps in governance and policies critical to charities’ ability to deliver for their cause.

“As a result, we have issued the charity a Regulatory Action Plan to make needed improvements and rectify findings of mismanagement.”

'Incalculable damage'

Sentable said it welcomes the Charity Commission’s conclusion of its case into the charity.

It says it now has “validly appointed trustees” in place and notes the regulator’s fundings “in relation to the past lack of clarity around role descriptions and internal policies for dealing with disputes and internal complaints”.

Chandauku added: “I appreciate the Charity Commission for its conclusions, which confirm the governance concerns I raised privately in February 2025.

“The experience was intense, and it became a test of our strategic clarity and operational resilience. We have continued to directly serve children and young people in Lesotho and Botswana with the steadfast support of long-standing funders, strategic partners, and community leaders.”

She added: “The unexpected adverse media campaign that was launched by those who resigned on 24 March 2025 has caused incalculable damage and offers a glimpse of the unacceptable behaviours displayed in private.

“We are emerging not just grateful to have survived, but stronger: more focused, better governed, boldly ambitious and with our dignity intact.”

'Timely reminder about strong governance'

The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland (CGIUKI) has responded to the Charity Commission’s report on Sentebale, calling the findings "a timely reminder of the importance of strong governance, clear leadership and a shared focus on beneficiaries".

Its chief executive Sara Drake added: "This case highlights the critical importance of strong governance in maintaining public trust, especially in high-profile charities.

"Clear roles, respectful dialogue, and well-functioning mechanisms for resolving disputes are essential to ensuring that a charity’s mission remains front and centre.

"When internal issues spill into the public domain, the greatest risk is to the beneficiaries who rely on the organisation’s work."

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