A children’s charity that was co-founded by Prince Harry is suing the royal and a former trustee for defamation.

Sentable says it has commenced legal proceedings in the High Court to see “protection, and restitution following a coordinated adverse media campaign” since March last year “that has caused operational disruption and reputational harm to the charity, its leadership, and its strategic partners”.

The action is being taken against the Duke of Sussex and a former trustee Mark Dyer, who the charity claim are “the architects of that adverse media campaign, which has had significant viral impact and triggered an onslaught of cyber-bullying directed at the charity and its leadership”.

A spokesperson for the royal and Dyer has told the media that they deny the charity’s claims and say Sentable should be focusing its efforts on supporting communities rather than pursing legal action.

The charity’s legal action follows a row that emerged two years ago over its plan to implement a new fundraising strategy in the United States, which sparked a dispute between its chair Dr Sohphie Chandauka and some trustees including its patron Prince Harry.

In March last year the Duke of Sussex, another co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, and its trustees quit the charity, while Chandauka claimed she had been the victim of bullying and harassment.

The Charity Commission intervened last year and in August its compliance case into the “damaging internal dispute” at the charity concluded.

The regulator “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”.

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.

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