Prince Harry's African Charity Drastically Reduces Staff After Bitter Scandal And Leadership Tussle

Prince Harry's former charity, Sentebale, has made some major changes after being rocked by a major "bullying" scandal.

According to reports, the organization cut its UK staff down to one as its global leadership also undergoes changes.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry is reportedly planning to start a new charity after the charity commission criticized him for allowing the drama with the Sentebale chair to "play out publicly."

The UK headquarters of Prince Harry's former charity, Sentebale, has been dramatically downsized to just one employee following a public fallout between the Duke and the organization's leadership.

Harry founded the African charity with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in honor of his mom, Princess Diana, in 2006, but after being at the helm of affairs for a long time, he stepped down from his role as patron following the scandal that hit the organization.

The organization is said to be grappling with money problems, which led to the major staffing change and a mass exodus of workers.

According to the New York Post, a total of 7 departures took place between April and September.

In a redundancy letter, Sentebale reportedly told staff that it "does not have" donor funding and was facing "retrenchment," per The Times of London. The global head of finance and compliance is part of the departure, amongst many others, including Harry.

According to the news outlet, the organization claims that the layoffs were part of a "global restructuring" plan that had been discussed in early 2024 and announced in December.

"Improve efficiencies, transition senior executive roles to Southern Africa, and to respond to changing service delivery demands," the charity said in a statement.

The organization added that the restructuring was prompted by "increasing uncertainty relating to international donor funding specifically (e.g., USAID) and uncertainty relating to events such as polo."

"It is worth noting that the narrative being created with regard to departures is entirely misleading," the organization noted.

The downsizing follows a public clash earlier this year that led to Harry's resignation, as well as several trustees, in the face of an "unthinkable" internal controversy.

In a statement shared at the time, Harry's team said that "the relationship between the charity's trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation," per the Daily Mail.

It appeared that the emergence of the organization's chairwoman, Sophie Chandauka, didn't sit well with ranking members of the board, and they expressed their desire to see her step down.

However, Chandauka then hit back with unsettling claims of hers, alleging there was a "cover-up" at the charity organization, as well as claims of "racist, sexist bullying," and counter-accusations regarding organizational management.

In her remarks about the alleged bullying, Dr. Chandauka seemingly took a subtle dig at Harry and the board of trustees for playing the "victim card.

She slammed "people in this world who behave as though they are above the law and mistreat people," going on to blast such individuals for playing "the victim card" and using "the very press they disdain."

"For me, this is not a vanity project from which I can resign when I am called to account," she said. "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 stand for those other women who do not have the ways and means."

Meanwhile, Harry is reportedly looking to launch a new charity following his fallout with Sentebale's leadership.

According to The Telegraph, sources close to Harry confirm that he's keen to "continue to support the children of Lesotho and Botswana" and that he is looking at his options on how to move forward on it.

"He may well choose to just support existing charities operating in the same space in the region, or he may choose to set up something new completely," the source said, per The Guardian.

Harry's official spokesperson earlier said that the prince remained "absolutely committed to continuing the work he started, supporting the children and young people of Lesotho and Botswana, nearly 20 years ago."

"In what form that support takes – no decisions have been made. All options remain on the table, whether that be starting a new charity or working to support pre-existing charities operating in the same sector in the region," they added.

Earlier this month, a source said the fallout at Sentebale had been "emotionally absolutely devastating" for Harry, describing Chandauka's comments as "nothing short of a hostile takeover."