Who Is Dr Sophie Chandauka: Prince Harry Accused of Harassment and Bullying by Africa Charity Director

Following his recent resignation from the Sentebale charity, which he co-founded with Dr Sophie Chandauka, tensions between Prince Harry and his former charity partner have intensified. The chairwoman has accused the Duke of Sussex of bullying and harassment, igniting a public dispute between them.

Sentable was a charity that the Duke of Suxxex established in 2006 in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana, aiming to help people in Africa suffering from HIV and AIDS. Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, another co-founder of the organisation, is also stepping down from his duties, along with Prince Harry.

Since the announcement of their resignation, Dr Chandauka has released endless comments and accusations against Prince Harry. But who is Dr Chandauka, and what are the exact allegations she made against the Duke? Here is everything you need to know.

Dr Sophie Chandauk: A Corporate Lawyer and a Former Meta Staff

Dr Chandauka comes from a humble family in Zimbabwe, where she was born in 1978. Her parents were teachers and her key inspirations in life. 'To pay for my unbelievably expensive private-school education, they improvised,' she once told The New Statesman in 2023. 'My father toiled with metalwork in his garage, creating children's playground equipment to sell to nursery schools, and my mother wrote children's books.'

Chandauka, at a very early age, developed a passion for law, and as part of a student exchange program she lived in Canada. She gained her university degree from Michigan, and as a corporate finance lawyer she spent the initial eight years of her career at Baker Mckenzzie in London. Since then, Chandauka has become a well-known figure in the corporate world.

According to her LinkedIn, Chandauka was the Head of Americas Risk Management and Intelligence at Meta from January 2022 to September 2023. Before Meta, she was the Head of Group Treasury (Legal) at Virgin Money, where she worked for more than four years.

In 2023, Chandauka was appointed as the co-chair of Prince Harry's charity Sentable. However, she has been attached to the organisation as a board of trustee since 2008.

What's the Rift Between Chandauka and Prince Harry?

According to reports, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso announced the news in a joint statement: 'Although we may no longer be patrons, we will always be its founders, and we will never forget what this charity is capable of achieving when it is in the right care. '

The statement also included a comment on the fallout between the trustees. 'It is devastating that the relationship between the charity's trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation,' it said. 'What's transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock that we have to do this, but we have a continued responsibility to Sentebale's beneficiaries, so we will be sharing all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about.'

In her defense, Dr Chandauka has now publicly accused Prince Harry of using his influence to harass and bully her in an effort to oust her from her position as chairwoman. 'There are people in this world who behave as though they are above the law and mistreat people, and then play the victim card and use the very press they disdain to harm people who have the courage to challenge their conduct,' she said in a statement.

In her latest interview with Sky News, where Dr Chandauka appeared in a conversation with Sir Trevor Phillips, she accused the duke of 'harassment and bullying at scale.' During the interview, she said, 'The only reason I'm here... is because at some point on Tuesday, Prince Harry authorised the release of a damaging piece of news to the outside world without informing me or my country directors, or my executive director.'

She continued, 'And can you imagine what that attack has done for me, on me and the 540 individuals in the Sentebale organisations and their families? That is an example of harassment and bullying at scale.'

A Clash of Leadership

Dr Chandauka's feud with Prince Harry took an ugly turn when she levelled another set of allegations against him. She alleged that Prince Harry once insisted the charity issue a public message of support for his wife, Meghan Markle, following an unsuccessful fundraising event the Duchess organised.

Dr Chandauka also labelled Prince Harry as the 'number one risk' for the charity.

However, a source close to the former trustee claimed these allegations were 'completely baseless.' According to the source, the ex-trustee 'fully expected this publicity stunt and reached their collective decision with this in mind.'

According to reports, the UK Charity Commission has confirmed that it is reviewing the governance of Sentebale. 'We can confirm that we are aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale. We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps,' a commission spokesperson said.