Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been slammed as “toxic” by charity boss Dr. Sophie Chandauka after Harry resigned from Sentable and cited a “broken relationship” as the reason to abandon his charity.
Chandauka Was Asked To Defend Meghan From Negative Publicity
In a shocking interview yesterday, Chandauka claimed she first felt tension between the Duke of Sussex and herself about a year ago.
Harry’s team also asked her to defend Meghan against negative publicity, and she gave them a hard “no.”
In her words, she said,
“I said no. We’re not setting a precedent by which we become an extension of the Sussex PR machine.”
Harry and his co-founder, Prince Seeiso, resigned in solidarity with the board of trustees, while the Zimbabwean lawyer refused to step down.
She took legal action at the High Court to cancel a meeting to vote her out. The meeting was ultimately canceled.
“The number one risk for this organization was the toxicity of its lead patron’s brand,”
Chandauka told the Financial Times.
She claimed that controversy over Harry and Meghan’s strategic move to the US made it increasingly difficult for the charity to “diversify its donor base and make senior hires.”
“When you start to interview people, they’re asking questions about, well, these mixed messages around the patron,”
She explained.
Chandauka insisted that during her time as chair, she experienced
“disrespect, bullying, intimidation, racism, and misogyny.”
She asserted that the way the organization was run was inappropriate
“for a post-Black-Lives-Matter world.”
Chandauka boldly addressed Prince Harry in the interview and said,
“The team is resolved that Sentable will live on, with or without you.”
Sentable May Not Survive Without Prince Harry
Sentable was founded in 2006 to honor Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, to help AIDS orphans in South Africa. Chandauka suggested that the “people in the field” were more important than the trustees.
Truthfully, Sentable may not survive this as the charity isn’t working. Chandauka has attempted other means of gaining viable donors and has failed.
She lost two of the big draws for Sentable. The result is chaotic, and creating controversy isn’t a good look for a charity.
Harry raked in good money playing polo for fundraising purposes, but Chandauka wanted to do it differently. Without Harry, the charity is doomed to fail.
After reviewing all the information, I strongly suspect Chandauka may not be telling the truth. My kneejerk reaction was to blame Harry, but there are holes in Chandauka’s story.
Her animosity seems to stem from an incident that occurred at a charity polo match in April last year; Meghan asked Chandauka not to stand next to Harry when the press was capturing photos.
Not only that, but there was also an investigation into the charity, and it appears that Chandauka initiated the process. However, when the princes and trustees resigned, she dropped the investigation.
More likely than not, she used the investigation as a means to remain chair of the organization. People are more willing to believe her because they want to vilify Harry.
It would also be easy to use accusations of bullying to discredit Harry. However, most of what we hear about bullying in regards to the Sussexes has to do with Meghan.
It’s ironic because now Harry knows what it feels like to be falsely accused, the same way he accused his own family of racism and bullying.
Former Trustees Strongly Deny Chandauka’s Allegations
I have to consider which side is more likely to have an angle. Chandauka may very well be like Meghan Markle herself.
The implosion of Sentable is directly related to a communication breakdown, and the charity was not run successfully.
Harry, Seeiso, and the trustees wanted to run it one way, while Chandauka wanted to do it another way, and that’s what prompted the resignations.
Kelello Lerotholi, one of the former trustees, denied Chandauka’s allegations and said that he
“didn’t recognize the allegations.”
He added,
“I can honestly say, in the meetings I was present in, there was never even a hint of such.”
Another Sentable trustee, Baroness Lynda Chalker of Wallasey, spoke of how Chandauka had an “almost dictatorial” attitude that often led to clashes.
In a dig at Harry, Chandauka declared,
“For me, this is not a vanity project from which I can resign when I am called to account.”
“I am an African who has had the privilege of a world-class education and career. I will not be intimidated. I must stand for something.”
I am not suggesting Prince Harry is totally blameless. There may be some truth to the accusations. However, Chandauka has a repution of being somewhat of a bully herself.
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