Prince Harry said he hopes a watchdog investigation into the charity he founded will “unveil the truth,” amid a boardroom battle within the organisation.
The Charity Commission said it had opened a regulatory compliance case into Sentebale, a week after it emerged the Duke of Sussex had quit as patron.
The royal founded the organisation in honour of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales in 2006 with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help young people and children in southern Africa, particularly those living with HIV and Aids.
Last week, it emerged that several trustees had left the charity in a dispute with its chairwoman, Sophie Chandauka, having requested her resignation.
In response to the probe, Harry called the events over the past week “heartbreaking to witness, especially when such blatant lies hurt those who have invested decades in this shared goal”.
He added that he hopes the robust inquiry: “We fully expect it will unveil the truth that collectively forced us to resign. We remain hopeful this will allow for the charity to be put in the right hands immediately, for the sake of the communities we serve.”
Harry and Prince Seeiso backed the departing trustees and announced they had resigned as patrons until further notice.
They said their resignations came “with heavy hearts”, adding that it was “devastating that the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation”.
Ms Chandauka issued a statement in which she alleged there had been “poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir”.
She also appeared to criticise Harry for going to the press and for what she described as playing “the victim card”.
Ms Chandauka said she welcomes the case being opened by the Charity Commission and hopes the outcome can “comfort” the public that the charity and its new trustees are “acting appropriately”.
The commission said it had informed the charity on Wednesday that it had “opened a regulatory compliance case to examine concerns raised about the charity”.
This allows the watchdog to “gather evidence and assess the compliance of the charity and trustees past and present with their legal duties” and responsibilities under charity law.
It is not the same as a statutory inquiry.
The commission, which said the decision to open a case came after assessing initial concerns raised, said it is in “direct contact with parties who have raised concerns”.
Regulatory compliance cases can lead to a range of outcomes including an official warning being given to a charity or a statutory inquiry being opened, which can give the commission additional powers of investigation.
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