One well-placed source said this moment was the catalyst for the falling out with Ms Chandauka.
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“Ultimately, it comes down to that polo match and the awkward moment with Megan moving her out the way,” the source said.
“Harry then demanded that she make a statement to the press, basically saying ‘Megan wasn’t mean to me’, and she refused to do that.”
The source alleged that the Duke “behaved inappropriately in asking her to talk to the press” and later joined with the trustees in seeking to remove her.
“Ever since that point, they’ve tried their best to move her out, using the trustees in order to undermine her, demean her and try and force her hand,” the source said.
Ms Chandauka alleged that the “toxicity” of Prince Harry’s brand, following his exit from the UK and the public airing of a litany of grievances, became the biggest threat to its future.
Sentebale was plunged into chaos this month when both the Duke and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, his co-founder, resigned in a blaze of acrimony.
Prince Harry said on Tuesday that he was “truly heartbroken” about quitting the charity. He founded Sentebale in 2006 to help young people affected by HIV in southern Africa, in memory of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
In a joint statement, the two princes said they were “devastated” at the “unthinkable” breakdown in relations with Ms Chandauka. It culminated in a High Court claim as the board tried to eject her from the charity, with the trustees then resigning en masse.
Ms Chandauka responded by lashing out at those who “play the victim card and use the very press they disdain to harm people who have the courage to challenge their conduct”.
Sentabale chair Dr Sophie Chandauka.Credit: Sentabale.org
One source told The Telegraph that the “traumatised” Duke would “100 per cent” return if Ms Chandauka were to fall on her sword, as would the rest of the board.
For her part, Ms Chandauka alleged that the adverse public sentiment surrounding the Duke following the release of Harry & Meghan, a Netflix documentary, in 2022 and Spare, the Duke’s memoir, in 2023, affected the charity’s ability to attract new donors and make senior hires.
“When you start to interview people, they’re asking questions about, well, these mixed messages around the patron,” she said.
“The number one risk for this organisation was the toxicity of its lead patron’s brand.”
She claimed that Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso wanted “to force a failure and then come to the rescue”.
On paper, Ms Chandauka was well qualified for the role. She worked briefly for Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, and for a longer period as a senior executive at Morgan Stanley, the financial services firm.
Meghan, with husband Prince Harry, at a charity polo match event.Credit: AP
She has an honorary doctorate in business administration, awarded by the University of Coventry in 2023, seemingly in recognition of her diversity campaigning.
However, the London-based Black British Business Awards Ltd, which she co-founded, leading her to be made an MBE in 2021, is also struggling. Ms Chandauka resigned as a director in June last year.
The company is in deficit to the tune of £387,000 ($796,258), of which £197,000 is owed to the taxman.
At Sentebale, an apparent falling out with one of the main sponsors of the annual polo tournament is alleged to have placed the charity in a “very, very vulnerable position”.
In response, Ms Chandauka spent some £390,000 ($802,000) on consultants in an effort to reach a new tranche of largely US-based donors, inspired by the Sussexes’ move to the country.
But when the money failed to roll in, the board asked her to leave, prompting an “aggressive” reaction which included a High Court injunction.
Sentebale sources claimed that Ms Chandauka’s own family were among the charity’s biggest donors last year.
But its most recent financial accounts reveal that it has reserves of less than £1 million and was exposed to a downturn in income from events.
Despite the Duke’s cash injection of $US1.5 million ($2.38m) from the profits of Spare, more money was spent than received and the board acknowledged it needed to be less reliant on income from international events such as high-profile polo tournaments in Japan and Singapore.
Total income in August 2023 stood at £3.4 million, down from £4.5 million a year earlier.
Separately, there were disagreements about Ms Chandauka’s remuneration for what was, essentially, a voluntary role.
One side claimed that the trustees and Prince Harry offered to reimburse her for her efforts, initiating the discussions and asking her to put together a business case.
A source close to Ms Chandauka said she asked for “a very small sum”.
However, another source told The Telegraph that she was offered a pro rata salary of £150,000, for her part-time work but “didn’t take that very well” and asked instead for £2,000 a day, capped at £300,000 a year.
Ms Chandauka has argued that she tried to widen the charity’s remit to include climate resilience and wealth inequality, while shifting its governance from London to southern Africa.
“The way the organisation had been set up in 2006, was no longer appropriate in 2023 in a post-Black Lives Matter world,” she said. “Funders were asking for locally led initiatives.”
She alleged that the shift towards southern Africa caused friction between the charity’s UK-based staff and those in Botswana and Lesotho, where most of its 500-plus workforce are based.
In December, Richard Miller, the London-based chief executive who had been in the position for five years, was replaced with Carmel Gaillard, in Johannesburg.
The board felt “a loss of power and control and influence”, Ms Chandauka alleged.
When the trustees tried to get Ms Chandauka to resign, she filed a report to the Charity Commission, writing in her complaint, seen by the Financial Times: “I view the request for my resignation as being a direct response to my raising significant concerns regarding the charity’s current governance, management and administration.”
On March 5, Ms Chandauka lodged a legal claim at the High Court in an attempt to block the boardroom vote to remove her.
“They thought I wouldn’t have the audacity to proceed with a court action,” she said.
A series of new appointments have been made in the wake of the mass resignations.
The newly formed board includes Iain Rawlinson, a financier who was previously chairman of Tusk Trust, Prince William’s conservation charity, and who has been advising Ms Chandauka.
He claimed there had been a concerted effort by certain trustees “to destabilise and remove Sophie” from her position.
A Charity Commission spokesman said: “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.”
Ms Chandauka said the public row had been stressful for the charity’s staff, saying: “The team is not equipped to deal with this glare.”
In a message to Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, she said: “The team is resolved that Sentebele will live on, with or without you.”
The Telegraph, London