LONDON (AP) 鈥 Britainsa国际传媒 charity regulator has opened an investigation into an African charity co-founded by Prince Harry, a week after the prince and the organizationsa国际传媒 board of trustees resigned amid a dispute with the charitysa国际传媒 chairwoman.
Sentebale, which provides support for young people in Botswana and Lesotho, has been wracked by turmoil since Harry and his co-founder abruptly resigned March 26, saying the relationship between the board and its chair was beyond repair. Chair Sophie Chandauka later accused the prince of orchestrating a campaign of bullying and harassment to try to force her out.
The Charity Commission said Thursday that it was in 鈥渄irect contact鈥 with parties on both sides to gather evidence in its compliance case.
鈥淭he regulatorsa国际传媒 focus, in line with its statutory remit, will be to determine whether the charitysa国际传媒 current and former trustees, including its chair, have fulfilled their duties and responsibilities under charity law,鈥 the commission said in a statement.
Chandauka criticized Harry in an interview with Sky News on Sunday, saying that filming for the princesa国际传媒 latest Netflix program interfered with a scheduled fundraiser for Sentebale and an incident with his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, became a source of friction.
Harry , which means 鈥渇orget me not鈥 in the language of Lesotho, nearly 20 years ago in memory of his late mother, Princess Diana.
He said he hoped the Charity Commission would uncover 鈥渢he truth鈥 about what caused him to resign as patron of Sentebale.
鈥淲hat has transpired over the last week has been heartbreaking to witness, especially when such blatant lies hurt those who have invested decades in this shared goal,鈥 he said in a statement. 鈥淣o one suffers more than the beneficiaries of Sentebale itself.鈥
贬补谤谤测sa国际传媒 came as Chandauka made allegations of bullying, harassment, sexism and racism against unnamed board members.
Harry and co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho were patrons of Sentebale but weren鈥檛 on the board of trustees. They said they decided to relinquish their roles as ambassadors for the charity to support the former trustees in their dispute with Chandauka.
Chandauka, a corporate lawyer and businesswoman from Zimbabwe, welcomed the commissionsa国际传媒 actions and said she had reported various governance and administration issues to the agency in February. She also said Sentebale initiated its own internal review last year.
鈥淲e hope that, together, these actions will give the general public, our colleagues, partners, supporters, donors and the communities we serve comfort that Sentebale and its new Board of Trustees are acting appropriately to demonstrate and ensure good governance and a healthy culture for Sentebale to thrive," she said in a statement.
