Why did Prince Harry resign from the African charity he co-founded?

Prince Harry has stepped down as a patron of Sentebale, the African charity he co-founded nearly 20 years ago in memory of his late mother, Princess Diana. The resignation, which he made alongside Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, follows a dispute between the charity’s board members and its chairwoman, Sophie Chandauka.

The breakdown in the relationship between the board and the chairwoman led to an untenable situation, prompting the royals’ decision to resign in support of the charity’s trustees.

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Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso resign over charity leadership conflict

Both co-funders of the Sentebale charity, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho have resigned as patrons, due to conflicts in the relationship between the charity's board members and chairwoman Sophie Chandauka. Sentebale, wich means "don't forget me" in the Sesotho language of Lesotho and South Africa; is a charity created in 2006 by the 2 princes in memory of their mothers to help children and young people affected by AIDS.

While both of them have expressed their sadness over leaving the charity, they stated that they could no longer support the charity under the current governance structure, which had led to a public dispute.

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Who is Sophie Chandauka?

Sophie Chandauka is the current chairwoman of Sentebale charity. She has been involved in a leadership dispute, which ended with her reporting Sentebale's trustees to the Charity Commission in the U.K. and filing papers in a British court to prevent her removal as chairwoman. 

Chandauka has alleged poor governance, misconduct, misogyny, misogynoir, and abuse of power within the organization. The ongoing dispute has drawn the attention of the U.K.'s Charity Commission, which is investigating the situation to determine how to move forward with Sentebale’s governance.