Prince Harry Faces Fresh Setback as Sentebale Charity Reports Surprising Fundraising Rise After His Exit

Prince Harry has received a striking update about Sentebale, the charity he co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006, after new figures reportedly showed an increase in donations following the pair’s departure.

The development offers a new chapter in the story of the organisation, which Harry and Seeiso established in memory of their mothers to support children and young people affected by poverty and health challenges in southern Africa.

Both princes stepped away from the charity following a highly publicised dispute involving its chairwoman, Dr Sophie Chandauka, and the board of trustees. Their departure marked a dramatic turning point for an organisation closely associated with Harry’s charitable work.

According to Daily Mail journalist Richard Eden, Sentebale received £342,000 in donations during its latest financial year, nearly £50,000 more than it received in 2024.

The reported increase suggests that the charity has continued to attract financial support despite losing its most prominent royal figures, who had been closely linked to its public identity since its foundation.

Eden also reported that money bequeathed to Sentebale more than trebled, rising from £47,000 to £189,000 after Harry and Seeiso left the organisation.

The figures have drawn attention because the charity had faced questions about its future following the departures and the public disagreement that preceded them.

The dispute centred on Chandauka and the trustees, with competing allegations emerging during the boardroom battle. Chandauka accused Harry of bullying and harassment and argued that the charity’s public image had suffered. Harry denied the allegations.

The Charity Commission subsequently investigated the dispute. According to the supplied account, its findings did not establish systemic bullying, harassment or misogyny, although the conflict brought significant scrutiny to the organisation.

The controversy also created uncertainty about Sentebale’s ability to maintain fundraising and deliver its work while dealing with the fallout from the dispute.

Its latest reported figures, however, present a more complicated picture than a straightforward recovery. Although donations and bequests increased, other sources of income reportedly declined sharply after the founders’ departures.

Eden reported that income from events fell from £715,000 to £70,000, while funding from institutional sources dropped from £2.6 million to £1.7 million.

Those reductions indicate that the charity still faces financial challenges, even as some forms of giving have increased. Donations, bequests, event revenue and institutional funding are different income streams, so growth in one area does not necessarily offset losses elsewhere.

Sentebale’s annual report reportedly described its approach as one of “commercial discipline”, suggesting a focus on managing the organisation’s finances and maintaining its operations through a period of change.

For Harry, the update concerns a charity with deep personal significance. His involvement began nearly two decades ago, and the organisation was founded around a shared commitment to honouring the mothers of its two royal co-founders.

His departure therefore represented more than the loss of a patronage. It also ended his direct association with a project that had formed a prominent part of his charitable work.

The latest figures suggest Sentebale has continued operating without its founders in their former leadership roles, but they do not establish that the charity is financially secure or that the dispute had no lasting impact.

For now, the organisation’s reported rise in donations offers a notable development amid its wider financial pressures, while the longer-term effects of Harry and Seeiso’s departure remain to be seen.