The Charity Commission has opened a compliance case to address concerns raised by Prince Harry and his co-founder of the charity Sentebale.

It was announced last week that Prince Harry had quit the charity alongside his co-founder and fellow patron, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, and its five trustees, after a row with the chair of the board.

The board's chair, Sophie Chandauka, had launched legal action at the high court to prevent her being ousted and complained to the Charity Commission about the behaviour of Sentebale’s trustees.

Following increasing media coverage, the Charity Commission has said it's "now in direct contact with parties who have raised concerns to gather evidence and assess the compliance of the charity and trustees past and present with their legal duties".

It added: "The regulator’s focus, in line with its statutory remit, will be to determine whether the charity’s current and former trustees, including its chair, have fulfilled their duties and responsibilities under charity law.

"The Commission is not an adjudicator or mediator and is guided by the principle of ensuring trustees fulfil their primary duty to their charitable purpose and beneficiaries."

The regulatory compliance case could lead to a range of outcomes including an official warning or the opening of a statutory inquiry, which would give the regulator additional powers of investigation.

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