Harry ‘out of depth’ in charity boss spat – but ‘won’t let it go’, expert says

PRINCE Harry is “out of his depth” in his Sentebale charity boss spat – but he’s “not going to let it go”, an expert has warned.

Dr Sophie Chandauka accused the royal of “harassment and bullying at scale”, and labelled the Sussex brand “toxic” – allegations Harry’s representatives have denied.

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It comes after the Duke of Sussex and Prince Seesio of Lesotho – who set up the charity in 2006 – sensationally resigned last week.

They slammed Dr Chandauka’s leadership as “untenable” and sided with trustees in a row over moving the charity’s fundraising operations to Africa.

She countered, arguing Harry’s move to the US worsened the situation at the charity and impacted its ability to diversify its donor pool.

Royal author Ingrid Seward told The Sun while the public will likely sympathise with Harry amid the row – he may ignore any advice to back down.

She said: “I wish that Harry could move on from this and manoeuvre around it, but I think Harry likes a fight.

“I mean, it’s part of his nature, and I don’t think he’s going to let this go.

“He will probably be advised just to keep very quiet, and maybe he’ll take that advice, but I feel very doubtful that he will.”

She said she worries wife Meghan is somewhere in the background pulling the strings.

She said: “I think Meghan rather likes to unleash Harry when she feels there’s a fight on their hands, and you very, very much feel – although this is Harry’s charity – the influence of Meghan here, because she wants to ride along on the glory of the charity.”

Harry’s shock resignation in support of trustees saw Dr Chandauka release a damning statement before giving a scathing interview for Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.

She alleged there had been “weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, and misogynoir”.

Misogynoir is the term used to describe discrimination against black women.

Ms Seward said while any suggestion of such discrimination was likely aimed more at the board of trustees, “of course it reflects on Harry”.

“Her main gripe was that the charity is an African charity, and it’s not been run from Africa, so she’s taken it to its original form, and maybe she sees the way that trustees are acting as misogynistic and racist.”

She added: “I’d be very surprised if Harry had said something that had racial overtones.

“I think he must be so well schooled in that by now. I don’t think he would, but she sees it differently.

“She sees this as racism because of who she is. This is not what Harry would do intentionally… it’s quite a big slur to throw.”

Referring to Dr Chandauka, Ms Seward said: “She is bringing out everything she can… she’s throwing in the racism card, she’s throwing in whatever she can… she’s a lawyer, and she pulls things out of the hat.

“Harry has really got very little chance up against somebody like that.”

Ms Seward said the plan is likely to try and “push out” Dr Chandauka – who took over as chair in 2023 – “get her to stand down and then he and Prince Seesio could re-enter the fray if you like, and reestablish themselves”.

“I think that’s what he’d like long term. But I wouldn’t want to go up against that lady. She’s very very smart.”

She added: “I’m absolutely certain that Harry had no idea this was going to blow up in the way that it has, and it would be the last thing that he wanted.

“He’s very, very distressed about the whole thing.”

Ms Seward said the royal has a “huge emotional investment” in the charity, with it having been set up in his mum Princess Diana’s memory.

“I think he’s gained a lot of public sympathy over this, because it’s quite difficult to understand who said what and why this has happened. So people just feel sorry for Harry…” she continued.

“He is the founder of the charity, no one can take that away from him, but I think he’s floundering in very deep waters here.

“I don’t think that Mrs Chandauka is going to let this go, and I think this will go on and on until there is some kind of resolve… She is saying, ‘you can’t get rid of me’.”

However, she said Harry himself is likely “very difficult to deal with”.

“I think probably anyone born into the Royal Family is very difficult to deal with because they’re privileged and they are used to people agreeing with them, laughing at all their jokes, and doing what they say.”

In terms of how the row could impact the Sussex brand, including their multi-million pound Netflix deal, Ms Seward believes Harry and Meghan will “trundle on”.

Referring to it being five years since Megxit, she said: “I don’t think they have had a honeymoon period.

“I think they’ve had a very difficult period for the last five years, but what they have harnessed is this controversy that they create every time they open their mouths. And certainly in America that is a very valuable asset.”

She added: “That’s probably what Netflix are banking on.”

BULLYING ‘COVER-UP’

Dr Chandauka also accused Harry of being “involved” in a “cover-up” regarding an investigation about bullying, harassment and misogyny at the organisation.

Asked on Sky News about reports trustees had lost confidence in her leadership and whether she was “the problem”, rather than Harry, Dr Chandauka said: “It was me who was the problem, because I put a whistleblower complaint about the bullying, the harassment and the misogyny, and Prince Harry interfered in the investigation of that.

“And the senior independent director, who should have taken care of it, was the very same person who then delivered the news to me that I was going to be removed by the board.

“So it’s a cover-up, and the prince is involved.”

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