He hankers after being the prince he once was, in the acute judgment of Tina Brown – author of a majestic biography about Princess Diana – who points out that ‘the good you can do as a royal is so much more potent’ than anything anyone can achieve in exile in California, even if blessed with an £11 million mansion with 13-and-a-half bathrooms.
Perhaps nowhere is this more startingly evident than at Sentebale, the charity which Prince Harry, inspired by the memory of his mother, co-founded in 2006 with the goal of helping orphaned African children.
Engulfed by an appalling storm of accusation since its board of trustees resigned last month – swiftly followed by the Duke of Sussex and his co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, who stepped down as its patrons – Sentebale now appears to be at the mercy of events beyond its control.
Only a fortnight ago, I disclosed that one of its new trustees, Dr Margaret Ikpoh, had resigned just three weeks after being appointed.
They were certainly three dramatic weeks, during which Harry accused Sentebale’s chief executive, Dr Sophie Chandauka, of telling ‘blatant lies’.
Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho quit as patrons of the charity they had founded in solidarity with trustees who said they could not carry on under Dr Chandauka
Nerissa Naidu, who, like Dr Ikpoh, was appointed on March 25, has stepped down, leaving just three trustees in place: Iain Rawlinson, Dr Bhakti Hansoti and Dr Chandauka herself
Dr Chandauka is pictured with the Sussexes at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge held in Florida in April last year to raise funds for Sentebale
She hit back by accusing Harry of playing ‘the victim card’, declaring the Sussexes’ brand to be ‘toxic’ and reporting her concerns to the Charity Commission, which announced that it was initiating an investigation.
Now, I can disclose, another trustee has resigned.
Nerissa Naidu, who, like Dr Ikpoh, was appointed on March 25, has stepped down, leaving just three trustees in place: Iain Rawlinson, Dr Bhakti Hansoti and Dr Chandauka herself.
This leaves Sentebale in a precarious position as charities are advised to have a minimum of three trustees.
Naidu, a South African entrepreneur, declines to comment, but Sentebale acknowledges that it has been ‘a particularly difficult time to have joined the organisation’.
It adds that Naidu has ‘chosen to step down out of respect for her other professional commitments’ and says that it has deeply appreciated ‘her tremendous support and insights in recent weeks and her interest in Sentebale over a long period of time’.
