Charity boss says Prince Harry asked for public message of support for Meghan after polo fundraiser ‘went badly’
The chair of a charity set up by Prince Harry says he asked for a public message of support for Meghan after a polo fundraiser “went badly”.
In a wide-ranging interview with Sky News’ Trevor Phillips, chair of Sentebale Dr Sophie Chandauka also claimed:
• The charity lost sponsors and donors when the Sussexes left the UK – but she wasn’t allowed to discuss the problem
• Harry is the “number one risk” to the charity
• He tried to “eject” her from the organisation
• He would appoint board members without consulting her
Sentebale was set up by the prince in 2006 in memory of his mother, Princess Diana, to help young people with HIV in Lesotho and Botswana.
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Full interview with Sophie Chandauka
Dr Chandauka has already accused the prince of “harassment and bullying at scale” by “unleashing” the Sussex PR machine – an allegation a source denied as “completely baseless”.
On Tuesday, Prince Harry quit as patron of the charity along with several other senior members after disagreements with the chair.
Polo fundraiser ‘went badly’
In a full interview with Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Dr Chandauka discussed Prince Harry’s filming of a Netflix show, which she said resulted in the charity losing the venue for an event they were holding.
She said the duke phoned her team, saying he’d like to bring a Netflix crew to the polo event.
She said the venue owners were originally “happy for us to use their polo grounds at a material discount”.
But as a result of the request, the price increased as it had become a commercial venture.
The charity was forced to pull out of the venue as it couldn’t afford the fee, according to Dr Chandauka, but then was “lucky enough” to find another through Prince Harry’s connections.
On the day, however, she claimed there were more problems.
“The duchess decided to attend, but she told us she wasn’t attending, and she brought a friend, a very famous friend,” Dr Chandauka said.
“The choreography went badly on stage because we had too many people on stage.
The Duchess of Sussex presented a trophy to Prince Harry after his team won a polo event in Wellington, Florida, in April 2024. Pic: PA
“The international press captured this, and there was a lot of talk about the duchess and the choreography on stage and whether she should have been there and her treatment of me.”
She claimed the media attention around Meghan’s treatment of her prompted Prince Harry to ask Dr Chandauka to issue a statement in support of the duchess.
“I said I wouldn’t. Not because I didn’t care about the duchess, but because I knew what would happen if I did so, number one. And number two, because we cannot be an extension of the Sussexes,” she said.
A source close to the former trustees of the Sentebale charity described Dr Chandauka’s account of the polo match as “highly misleading”. Sky News also contacted Netflix, who declined to comment.
‘Number one risk’
Dr Chandauka was asked if the Duke of Sussex is the “number one risk” to the charity, and replied “yes”.
She added that when she asked why there was a loss of sponsors at the time the Sussexes left the UK, she was told: “It’s an uncomfortable conversation to have with Prince Harry in the room.”
“What you discovered was essentially, donors were walking because of the prince’s reputation?” asked Trevor Phillips.
“Yes,” Dr Chandauka replied.
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Prince Harry ‘unleashed Sussex machine’
She also accused the prince of trying to “eject” her from the organisation.
“There were board meetings where members of the executive team and external strategic advisors were sending me messages saying, ‘Should I interrupt?’, ‘Should I stop this?’ ‘Oh my gosh, this is so bad’,” she said.
“In fact, our strategic adviser for fundraising then sent me a message saying she wouldn’t want to ever attend any more board meetings or bring her colleagues because of the treatment.”
When she didn’t leave, Dr Chandauka suggested Prince Harry tried to force the failure of the charity he set up in his mother’s memory.
“Prince Harry started to brief, and his team, sponsors that I had been speaking to, against me and the charity, because that is a sure way of getting me out if it’s seen as though I’m not being successful in my fundraising efforts,” she said.
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‘This all came as a shock to me’
When asked about a Sky News interview with former trustee Dr Kelello Lerotholi who said he was “surprised” by her accusations about the prince, Dr Chandauka said she wasn’t “surprised that he didn’t know much of what was going on in the organisation”.
“He had the worst attendance record and even when he was in the meetings, he didn’t actually contribute that much,” she said.
‘Everybody’s shocked and quiet’
Dr Chandauka gave an example of the prince’s behaviour in board meetings.
“Prince Harry decides, on this specific occasion, that he wants to appoint an individual to the board, with immediate effect, without having talked to me,” she said.
“His proxy on the board says, ‘Yes, I second that motion’. The third proxy on the board says, ‘Welcome to the board, Brian’.
“And everybody’s shocked and quiet, but this is what happens when the prince is in the room and no one has the courage to speak.”
Sky News contacted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex about the contents of Sophie Chandauka’s interview with Trevor Phillips, and they declined to offer any formal response.
But the source close to the former trustees of the Sentebale charity has described as categorically false Dr Chandauka’s claims that Dr Lerotholi did not attend meetings and did not contribute much when he was in meetings and that the Duke of Sussex leaving the UK impacted the charity, caused it to lose sponsors, or that the duke posed the biggest risk to the charity.
The source also described as “completely baseless” Dr Chandauka’s claims that she was bullied and harassed, briefed against by Prince Harry, or that the Sussex machine was unleashed on her and that the people on the board of Sentebale were scared to speak up when the duke was in the room.
The claim that the press was informed about the royal patrons departure as trustees before the charity, has been described by the source as “categorically untrue”.
In response to Dr Chandauka’s claim that the Duke of Sussex was ‘forcing the failure’ of the charity ‘as a last resort’, the source pointed to the public statement of Prince Harry and his co-founder of the Sentebale charity, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, which read:
“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.
“These trustees acted in the best interest of the charity in asking the chair to step down, while keeping the wellbeing of staff in mind. In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship.”
The grieving mother of a Scottish teenager who vanished for almost five weeks has told Sky News she believes a “third party” was involved in her son’s death – but police say there’s “no evidence” of that.
Cole Cooper, 19, was discovered dead in woods near Falkirk earlier this month following a missing persons inquiry his relatives don’t believe was taken seriously enough by police.
He was last seen on CCTV in May after leaving a house party, but police later revealed a former school friend had spoken to Cole a few days later nearby.
Speaking exclusively to Sky News, his mother Wendy Stewart, 42, revealed her son had “various arguments” in the days and hours before he disappeared.
Cole’s mum Wendy (L) and his aunt Aimee
In an emotional interview, she said: “He was only 19, he should never have been taken. I am never going to see him again. I never got a chance to give him a last cuddle and hold his hand.
“Someone has taken that away from me far too soon. Whether it be intentionally or unintentionally, I do believe there has been some involvement by a third party and the result is the death of Cole.”
The family, who organised a local vigil in Cole’s memory last weekend, have vowed to get “justice”.
Asked what that means, Ms Stewart told Sky News: “Finding the culprit and getting justice that way. Finding the person that is responsible for the death of my child.”
Police previously said 400 residents were spoken to during door-to-door enquiries and more than 2,000 hours of CCTV footage was collected.
The 19-year-old’s death is being treated as “unexplained”, with a top police officer saying “at this time there is no evidence of any third party involvement”.
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A vigil was held in Banknock for Cole Cooper. Pic: PA
Cole’s aunt Aimee Tennie, 32, revealed the family’s anger over the police handling of the case as they attempt to find out what happened.
She said: “We are aware of small details surrounding the weekend leading up to it with arguments. He had a few arguments over that weekend. We want the details re-examined thoroughly.”
Sky News put all of the family’s concerns and allegations to Police Scotland.
The force initially swerved our questions and responded saying: “Enquiries remain ongoing.”
In an update later on Wednesday morning, Detective Chief Inspector Bob Williamson said: “We are carrying out significant enquiries into Cole’s death, however, at this time there is no evidence of any third party involvement.
“It is vital that we establish the full circumstances leading up to Cole’s death so that we can provide some answers to his family.
“The thoughts of everyone involved in this investigation are very much with his family and friends and officers will continue to offer them support and keep them informed as our enquiries progress.”
Ms Stewart claimed the probe has been handled “shockingly” with a failure to take her son’s disappearance seriously.
The 42-year-old said: “I have had to scream and shout from rooftops to be heard by the police. I don’t think they have handled it well.
“The police really need to take accountability and listen to families, they are reporting a missing child and understand the family knows their child best.”
Cole’s loved ones still have not been told when his body will be released to allow them to lay him to rest.
A member of Irish-language rap group Kneecap has appeared in court in London after being charged with a terror offence – as hundreds of protesters gathered outside.
Liam O’Hanna, or Liam Og O hAnnaidh, is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in the UK, at a gig last year.
The charge against the 27-year-old, from Belfast, was brought last month after counter-terror officers assessed a video reported to be from a Kneecap concert at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, on 21 November 2024.
O hAnnaidh arrived at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, as a crowd of fans and supporters gathered with placards and flags outside.
O’Hanna (centre) arrived at court with his bandmates, including Naoise O Caireallain (below). Pics: PA
During a short appearance, O hAnnaidh confirmed his name and address, and was released on unconditional bail until his next hearing on 20 August.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told him he must attend court on that day.
Kneecap released their first single in 2017 and rose to wider prominence in 2024 following the release of their debut album and award-winning eponymous film – a fictionalised retelling of how the band came together and their fight to save the Irish language.
The group are known for their provocative lyrics and merchandise – and have been vocally opposed to Israel’s military action in Gaza.
O hAnnaidh performs under the stage name Mo Chara, while O Caireallain is known as Moglai Bap, and O Dochartaigh as DJ Provai.
Pic: PA
They have built a following for their hedonistic anti-establishment tracks, but their outspoken stance has proved polarising – prompting a surge in streaming for their songs and, at the same time, resulting in several of their gigs being cancelled this year.
Last year, they won a discrimination case against the UK government after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was business secretary.
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