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Prince Harry has said he is devastated and “in shock” to have to quit as patron of a charity he set up in honour of his mother.

Sentebale was established in 2006 to help children and young people in southern Africa, particularly those with HIV and Aids.

But the Duke of Sussex said he had been forced to step down amid a battle in the organisation between the chairwoman Dr Sophie Chandauka and the board of trustees.

He released a statement with his co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, saying they had established the charity “in honour of our mothers”.

“With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organisation until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same,” they said.

“It is devastating that the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation.”

Details of the row in the charity are unclear but it is reportedly over a decision to focus fundraising in Africa.

“What’s transpired is unthinkable,” the princes’ statement added.

“We are in shock that we have to do this, but we have a continued responsibility to Sentebale’s beneficiaries, so we will be sharing all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about.”

Prince Harry and Sophie Chandauka in Florida last year. Pic: PA
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The Duke of Sussex and Sophie Chandauka in Florida last year. Pic: PA

In her own statement, Dr Chandauka said she would not be intimidated, adding: “For me, this is not a vanity project from which I can resign when I am called to account.”

She said she had reported the trustees to the Charity Commission and that a UK court had issued an injunction to stop them removing her.

“There are people in this world who behave as though they are above the law and mistreat people, and then play the victim card and use the very press they disdain to harm people who have the courage to challenge their conduct,” Dr Chandauka said.

She added that this was a “story of a woman who dared to blow the whistle about issues of poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir – and the cover-up that ensued”.

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A Charity Commission spokesperson said it is “aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale”.

“We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps,” a spokesperson for the commission said in a statement.

Prince Harry was inspired to start the charity after spending two months in Lesotho when he was on a gap year in 2004.

He was in the small African country – which has one of the world’s highest rates of HIV and Aids – as recently as last October.

The prince talked to young people around a campfire about the “massive difference” Sentebale was making. Last April, he was also pictured with Dr Chandauka at a charity polo match in Florida.

Five former trustees also released a statement that said resigning was “devastating” but the “result of our loss in trust and confidence in the chair of the board”.

They said they were forced to quit as they could not allow Sentebale to take on the “legal and financial burden” of a lawsuit brought by the chairwoman “to block us from voting her out after our request for her resignation was rejected”.

They added that the decision to resign was “not a choice willingly made, but rather something we felt forced into in order to look after the charity”.

Who is Dr Sophie Chandauka?

Born in Zimbabwe, Dr Sophie Chandauka is a corporate finance lawyer who is described as a campaigner for “diversity, equity and inclusion”.

She has had a 20-year executive career and in 2021 received an MBE for extraordinary contributions to diversity in business.

Dr Chandauka is the co-founder and executive chair of Nandi Life Sciences, an American biotechnology company which focuses on developing therapeutics for rare cancers and auto-immune diseases.

According to her profile on the Sentebale website, she has experience “leading strategy, legal and operations functions” and has held roles for companies in technology, retail and investment banking.

These have included Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and Morgan Stanley and Virgin Money.

She has served on several non-profit boards and is also the executive founder and chair of the Black British Business Awards.

Dr Chandauka previously served on the board at Sentebale from 2009 to 2015, before later returning to become the organisation’s chair in July 2023.

Educated in the UK, Canada and the US, Dr Chandauka is based in New York City.

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How to see today’s partial solar eclipse from the UK

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How to see today's partial solar eclipse from the UK

Stargazers could catch a glimpse of a partial solar eclipse this morning, where the sun looks like it’s had a bite taken out of it.

It only occurs a handful of times a year, when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, and partly obscures the star.

Here’s what you need to know for the best chance of seeing it.

When is it?

It’s expected to be visible in the UK from 9.56am to 12.14pm today.

For people in the south of England – where the weather means views should be best – the peak of the eclipse is set to be at around 11.03am.

This is when the eclipse reaches its “maximum” – the moment when the greatest portion of the sun is hidden.

According to the Royal Observatory, the maximum this time will see around 30-40% of the sun obscured.

What is the weather meant to be like?

Some parts of the UK will see more of the eclipse than others. Northwest Scotland is expected to see the most coverage with 47.9% in Gallan Head.

Dover in southwest England is set to see the least coverage of the eclipse with only 28.1% of the sun blocked by the moon, while Manchester is expected to have 36.1% of coverage.

Check the forecast where you are

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “The further northwest you are in the UK the more of an eclipse you are likely to have, whereas towards the southeast it’s a little bit less – but still 30%, and still a large chunk taken out of the sun.”

Met Office maps show clear skies across southeast England at the time that the eclipse starts, with partial cloud above Manchester and northwest England, and cloud above most of Scotland.

The areas expected to have some of the best eclipse coverage are also likely to see cloud and rain at the time.

Conditions are widely meant to clear over the weekend, with temperatures up to 17C in the South East and 14C in the North on Sunday – but it may come slightly too late to have a good view of the sun today.

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How can I give myself the best chance of seeing it?

Even though part of the sun will be covered, its brightness will still be dangerous to the naked eye, so experts say it can cause serious and permanent damage if you look straight at it without appropriate protection.

Also: standard sunglasses do not count as protection.

If you want more than a quick glance, you can use a pinhole projector or solar eclipse viewing glasses.

You can make pinhole projectors at home, simply by making a hole in a piece of card, holding the card up to the sun and holding another piece of paper behind the card.

The shape of the sun will appear projected onto the paper, without harming you.

Solar eclipse viewing glasses can be purchased online.

For those who can’t see it in person, the Royal Observatory is streaming the partial eclipse live through one of its modern telescopes on its YouTube channel, with coverage starting from 10am.

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UK weather: Spring sunshine set to return on Mother’s Day, forecasters say

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UK weather: Spring sunshine set to return on Mother's Day, forecasters say

Spring sunshine will return to parts of the UK in time for Mother’s Day and continue into next week – potentially bringing the hottest day of the year so far, forecasters have said.

Sky weather producer Kirsty McCabe said Mothering Sunday was likely to be a “mostly fine day with bright or sunny spells once early low cloud and drizzle clears”.

She predicted there would be “temperatures near or above average” for most places.

Afterwards, however, high pressure is set to dominate. There is a good chance the highest temperature of the year so far will be reached by the middle of next week, topping the high of 21.3C (70F) recorded on 20 March.

Latest UK weather forecast

However, the far north and west of the British Isles are likely to be cloudier and windier with a risk of rain.

The Met Office has also forecast that warm conditions will return on Sunday after a brief, changeable period in what it called “typical spring fashion”.

Central and inland areas should have the warmest weather on Mother’s Day, with its forecasters also predicting “a short-lived spell of unsettled weather this weekend”.

A woman sitting in Green Park, central London, during a spell of warm weather. Picture date: Friday March 28, 2025, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Ben Whitley/PA Wire
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A woman enjoys the warmer weather in London’s Green Park. Pic: PA

But the Met Office added the country would “transition back towards a blocked weather pattern as high pressure builds on Sunday and dominates our weather through much of next week”.

Honor Criswick, a meteorologist from the agency, said the high pressure would “stick around as we head into next week, bringing some fine and settled conditions, perhaps even some warm sunshine”.

Partial solar eclipse in parts of UK

Ms Criswick said Sunday morning would be cloudy, with possible drizzle and mist, but that would give way to a dry day with “some sunny spells, particularly across central and inland areas of the UK”.

She predicted there would be “quite a settled start to the week next week, lots of sunny spells and also some quite warm temperatures”.

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Meanwhile, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in parts of the UK between 10am and noon on Saturday.

Those in the east of the country will have the best chance of seeing it.

The phenomenon occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth. However, the three planetary bodies will not be completely aligned, meaning only part of the sun will be obscured this weekend.

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‘Sensitive military documents’ found in Newcastle street

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'Sensitive military documents' found in Newcastle street

“Appropriate action” will be taken following the discovery of sensitive military documents on a street in Newcastle, Downing Street has said.

An investigation has been launched by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) after the paperwork was found spilling out of a black bin bag in the Scotswood area of the city on 16 March.

The BBC reported that the documents included details of soldiers’ ranks, shift patterns, email addresses, weapon issue records and access information for military facilities.

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The broadcaster reported the paperwork related to units based at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, around 50 miles south of Newcastle.

In a statement, the MoD said it did not believe there had been a significant security breach.

A spokesperson said: “We take the protection of our information very seriously and this incident is being closely investigated.

“We have rapidly reviewed the information and understand no sensitive operational defence information is contained within the documents.”

Among the paperwork was a sheet reportedly headed “armoury keys and hold IDS codes” – believed to refer to an armoury and intruder detection system.

A Number 10 spokesperson said: “The Ministry of Defence is currently looking at documents handed to the police, but the matter is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Army.

“As you will appreciate, I won’t be able to comment on any specifics while that takes place, but you can expect that appropriate action will be taken in response to any potential information breach.

“It’s obviously important that that investigation is allowed to take its course.”

The discovery was made by Mike Gibbard, a football fan from Gateshead, who stumbled across the documents while parking ahead of Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup final match against Liverpool.

He told the BBC: “I peered down and started to see names on bits of papers, and numbers, and I thought ‘what’s that?’

“They were piled up against a wall, in a black bag, in the road, underneath cars – spread all the way up the road.”

He said he found more documents on the other side of the road and was alarmed by the contents.

“Details of the perimeter, the patrol, checking weapons in and out, requests for leave, mobile phone numbers, high-ranking officers,” he told the BBC.

“This shouldn’t be here, anyone could pick it up.”

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The documents were handed to Northumbria Police. A spokesperson for the force said they were subsequently given to the MoD.

Government guidelines recommend that some “official – sensitive” documents could pose a “threat to life” if compromised. The advice states that such paperwork should be destroyed using shredders or “burn bags”.

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