One subject monopolised conversation when Lesotho’s wealthy and powerful gathered at their favourite haunts in the capital Maseru last week.
Unsurprisingly it was the internecine wrangling at Sentebale, Prince Harry’s cherished African charity. With barbs and brickbats flying almost daily, there was much to mull over.
Specifically, though, the discussions centred on the Duchess of Sussex, hitherto something of a bit-part player in this sorry affair, which saw Harry dramatically quit the charity last month ‘in solidarity’ with its disgruntled trustees who resigned when relations with its chairwoman, Dr Sophie Chandauka, broke down beyond repair.
In an explosive response, Dr Chandauka claimed donors dropped their support because of the prince’s reputation after he quit his royal duties.
And she alleged that Harry ‘unleashed the Sussex machine’ on her in a case of ‘harassment and bullying at scale’ after she tried to bring in changes.
‘The problem, though, started with Meghan,’ one informed source told The Mail on Sunday. ‘Meghan doesn’t like Sophie.’
Much like Meghan herself, Oxford-educated Dr Chandauka, 47, is a forthright woman. An award-winning lawyer and entrepreneur, she has led Lesotho-based Sentebale since 2023 when, hailing her appointment, Harry praised her passion for social change.
Perhaps it was inevitable that these formidable women would one day collide, and they seemed to do just that last April when the Duchess appeared to usher the charity boss away from her husband on stage at a polo match.
An insider told this newspaper that the royal couple believed Dr Chandauka was ‘obsessed’ with Meghan ‘in a fan girl kind of way’. This was denied by Sentebale
Dr Sophie Chandauka claimed donors dropped their support for the charity because of the prince’s reputation after he quit his royal duties
But as The Mail on Sunday reveals today, it is what happened before and after this awkward interaction that is significant – pointing to a deeper animosity between the two women than first suspected, and casting new light on Sentebale’s unravelling.
Although Harry was playing that day, Meghan had pointedly said she would not attend the match at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Florida, to raise funds for Sentebale.
But the Duchess arrived unexpectedly with a celebrity pal, tennis star Serena Williams, in tow. Dr Chandauka greeted Meghan warmly – or tried to – but, say sources, received only a perfunctory ‘Hi’ in return. The Duchess then turned sharply away and sauntered to a marquee with Serena ‘to drink champagne’.
‘She [Dr Chandauka] wanted to take her around, to introduce her to other people, but Meghan didn’t want to mingle or engage with those supporting the event,’ said a source.
‘She went off to the tent. Sophie found it rude. Staff working that day were asked to get champagne for Meghan, they were scrambling around – Sentebale and Archewell [Harry and Meghan’s charitable organisation] staff were both having to do that. Sentebale were not happy about this at all.’
Not that Dr Chandauka betrayed any outward annoyance. On the day she talked warmly of Harry, of how he set up the charity with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho creating ‘a platform and profile for the organisation that’s potentially unrivalled’.
Harry and Meghan just after the awkward trophy moment, when the Duchess appeared to usher the charity boss (far right) away from her husband on stage at a polo match
And she spoke of her hopes that the Duke and Duchess would bring their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to Africa. ‘I can tell you that there are many people in Botswana, in Lesotho, in South Africa, who have loved the Duke, who have loved the Duchess and who are excited about the idea of welcoming the kids to Africa,’ said Dr Chandauka.
Less than an hour later, she found herself on a crowded podium with Harry, his team-mates – and Meghan.
Footage showed that after handing Harry a trophy, Dr Chandauka, who was standing on his right, was asked twice by Meghan to move to her left side away from him.
He had his arm around his wife while others shuffled to find a place. Dr Chandauka then had to duck under the trophy to adopt the position indicated by Meghan.
The Duchess arrived at the polo match unexpectedly with a celebrity pal, tennis star Serena Williams (facing camera), in tow. Dr Chandauka (in corner of photo) greeted Meghan warmly – or tried to – but, say sources, received only a perfunctory ‘Hi’ in return
Sources close to Harry and Meghan hit back yesterday, saying this moment was misrepresented. They argued that the Duchess is clearly heard ‘politely offering assistance’ in the footage, saying to Dr Chandauka: ‘Do you want to come over here?’ The sources said the incident was ‘weaponised as a negative attack’ and denied there was an issue on stage.
Dr Chandauka would later suggest that a Netflix TV crew caused disruption, but sources say she seemed more than happy at the time. In an interview on the day she described Netflix’s involvement as a great opportunity for Sentebale to gain exposure through a global platform.
Another insider told this newspaper that the couple believed Dr Chandauka was ‘obsessed’ with Meghan ‘in a fan girl kind of way’. This was denied by Sentebale.
By all accounts Harry and the charity boss had previously got on well, but the polo match marked what one source called a ‘turning point’. Harry tried to make Dr Chandauka defend Meghan publicly afterwards but the charity boss refused, saying last week that she did not want to become an extension of the Sussexes’ PR machine.
A source said: ‘Above all else, it was the way she says Meghan snubbed her on arrival that was the reason she wouldn’t issue some kind of supporting statement.
‘Meghan then sent something to Sophie and Sophie responded and after that she [Sophie] was persona non grata. Harry sided with Meghan – he always does as he is dazzled by her. In his eyes she can do no wrong, even when it comes to behaving like that at a charity event. He was raging all day about it.
‘Any time Meghan is spoken of badly, he gets the hump.’
Perhaps his mood influenced his decision to send what has been called an ‘unpleasant’ and ‘imperious’ note to Dr Chandauka demanding that she ‘explain herself’ when she refused to defend his wife.
Dr Chandauka said Harry had, via his team, asked her to ‘issue some sort of statement in support’ of Meghan to quash rumours of tension between them. The note left Dr Chandauka upset, the source said.
While the main protagonists were squabbling in the aftermath of the polo event, so too were their aides. ‘Sentebale then complained about Team Archewell – they thought they were rude,’ a source told The Mail on Sunday.
‘There were comments on the day about how Archewell’s glossy PR machine made it all look good, but in reality, on the ground, they were not very nice. That caused a lot of unrest and bad blood.’
Needless to say, the much longed-for visit to Lesotho by Meghan and her children was never forthcoming. And now Dr Chandauka has – in her own words – ‘dared to blow the whistle’ on Harry’s charity over alleged racist bullying of black women.
Dr Chandauka was appointed chairman after a six-year stint serving on its board from 2009 to 2015. In less than two years at the helm, she has found herself at the centre of a major controversy.
The lawyer, who has worked for Meta, Morgan Stanley and Virgin Money, rose from being a trainee solicitor to advising on multi-million-pound deals. Speaking at the time of her appointment as Sentebale chairman, Dr Chandauka cited her rise from ‘the young girl from Zimbabwe’ to having a ‘world-class education and career’.
She added that this was an inspiration for the charity’s ‘capacity to transform lives’ and inspire young people to ‘define their own destinies’. Dr Chandauka received an MBE in 2021 for extraordinary services to diversity in business.
In 2005 she qualified as a corporate lawyer with Baker and McKenzie in London before being headhunted for a senior role at Virgin Money.
Last week, the Charity Commission said it had begun ‘a regulatory compliance case’ to examine concerns about Sentebale. After the announcement, the Duke said: ‘From the inception of Sentebale nearly 20 years ago, Prince Seeiso and I have had a clear goal: to support the children and young people in southern Africa in memory of our mothers..
Prince Harry and Dr Chandauka with Nacho Figueras (left), an ambassador for Sentebale and the charity’s CEO Richard Miller
‘What has transpired over the last week has been heartbreaking to witness, especially when such blatant lies hurt those who have invested decades in this shared goal. No one suffers more than the beneficiaries of Sentebale itself.
‘On behalf of the former trustees and patrons, we share in the relief that the Charity Commission confirmed they will be conducting a robust inquiry.
‘We fully expect it will unveil the truth that collectively forced us to resign.
‘We remain hopeful this will allow for the charity to be put in the right hands immediately, for the sake of the communities we serve.’
With the claims and counter-claims still flying, one man who has maintained a dignified silence is Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. He has called Harry his brother but has so far refused to criticise Dr Chandauka publicly, perhaps, as some in his country suggest, because he feels some sympathy towards her.
When The Mail on Sunday caught up with him in Maseru last week he said only: ‘It’s a very sad and very unfortunate situation for everyone concerned.’
The ginger elephant in the room causing a headache for the planners was Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, as tensions were high following their decision to attack the Royal Family in their Oprah interview in March 2021.
Therefore, to avoid any awkward moments within the estranged family, seating arrangements for the service to honour Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne at St Paul’s Cathedral had to be carefully designed.
Things were especially torturous between William and Harry, and officials took great care to avoid repeating the frosty scenes when they sat near each other at their last joint event in March 2020 at Westminster Abbey.
They did manage to avoid a bust-up by ensuring they arrived and left at different times and sat on separate sides of the aisle in a carefully orchestrated plan.
However, even the best-laid plans cannot account for one thing – the behaviour of the public.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were greeted with a mixed reaction of boos and cheers as they walked down the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral on June 3, 2022
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were difficult for planners to manage as their fall out with the rest of the Royal Family had worsened since they stepped down in 2020
Prince William and Princess Kate (left, circled) were sat across the aisle from the Sussexes (right, circled) at St Paul’s to avoid any awkward scenes
As when Harry and Meghan walked down the steps at St Paul’s Cathedral, they were met by the unmistakable sound of the crowd outside booing them.
In fairness, there were some cheers as well but their appearance caused a noticeable stir within the crowd, as the audio from the two live video feeds at the service picked up the din.
The crowd’s reaction was a significant moment for the couple as it was their first joint official royal engagement since they quit the Royal Family – and the first time the public had greeted them.
It proved that their behaviour had left the public with a profound dislike of them.
And, although they would have known it had they seen their plummeting approval ratings in opinion polls, it was the first time they had to face up to the new reality.
It must have been especially difficult for Harry, who was used to being the very essence of a popular 21st-century prince.
He was what every romantic expected a dutiful young royal to be – not only good-looking and a brave soldier, but someone who could laugh easily at himself.
Indeed, the sound of laughter accompanied him everywhere he went.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex walk into St Paul’s Cathedral
The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II was celebrated from June 2 to June 5, 2022
Guests began to crane their necks to watch Harry and Meghan look for their seats, which were located in the second row
When Harry and Meghan began to walk down the long central aisle, all eyes turned on them
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were positioned away from their immediate family
Prince Harry and Meghan arrive at their seats in St Paul’s Cathedral
Prince Harry and Princess Beatrice smile ahead of the Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate the Queen
Prince Harry looks to the ceiling while celebrating his grandmother’s Platinum Jubilee
Prince Charles and Camilla led the royal departures from St Paul’s Cathedral after the service
But now it was the sound of booing which seemed to surround him.
The Sussexes didn’t let the noise get to them, on the surface at least, and, as they walked, they held hands and smiled.
They were greeted by the Lord Mayor and spent a few minutes chatting before they entered the place of worship and proceeded to greet the long line of clergy.
Sky’s Kay Burley said at the time she wasn’t sure if there were ‘more cheers or more jeers’ while MailOnline’s man on the ground reported both cheers and whistles.
An AFP video of the couple leaving the service carried some audible boos alongside more supportive noises.
Others said that the cheering for Prince William and Kate was ‘the biggest of the day by some margin’.
Royal correspondent Richard Palmer noted: ‘There was a loud reaction from the crowd to the arrival of Harry and Meghan: a mix of boos and cheers.
‘Our correspondent outside says what sounded like a mixed reaction had turned into a clear cheer by the time the Sussexes had reached the top of the steps.’
Sky News commentator Rhiannon Mills, also present, said: ‘We were debating how many boos, how many cheers but I think also when you compared it to later arrivals there was a mixed reaction to them.
Tensions were high following Harry and Meghan’s decision to attack the Royal Family in their Oprah interview in March 2021
‘Despite the fact they have stressed they have a huge amount of respect for the Queen, they are still in contact with her, the Queen has constantly stressed they are much-loved members of the family, the assembled crowd clearly had mixed feelings about them being here.’
The moment would have proved an interesting one for the Queen, who was watching the events unfold at home on television as she was too frail to attend.
When Harry and Meghan began to walk down the long central aisle, all eyes turned on them.
Guests began to crane their necks to watch the couple look for their seats, but they found them not in the front row but in the second.
Their newfound position away from the seats of importance underscored their lesser roles as non-working members of the Royal Family.
On the other hand, Prince Charles, who was representing the Queen, and Camilla had special chairs in the front row on the other side of the aisle.
Prince William and his wife Catherine were seated next to them.
The long distance between Harry and the rest of his immediate family meant the service in front of 2,000 special guests passed without any negative ‘optics’, given the attempts to ensure the day was about the Queen and her 70-year reign.
Queen Elizabeth II stands on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Platinum Pageant on June 5, 2022. She was not able to attend the thanksgiving service two days before, but watched the events unfold on television
Prince Charles and Camilla arrive for the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral
Catherine, Prince William, Camilla and Prince Charles in the front row
The Princess Royal, the then Duchess of Cambridge and the then Duke of Cambridge in their seats
The Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral was not attended by the Queen as she was too frail
Kate and William chatted to Charles and Camilla inside the cathedral, but there was no sign of the same rapport with Harry and Meghan who sat in between Lady Chatto and Princess Eugenie’s husband Jack Brooksbank.
A source said at the time: ‘It’s a typically elegant solution as you would expect. The Queen wants her family there and they are still part of it. But in a carefully controlled fashion.’
Watching the family drama unfold at the event were 400 key workers, charity volunteers and members of the armed forces who had been invited in recognition of their contribution to public life during the pandemic.
Harry’s long-standing feud with his family had plunged to fresh depths after he accused his father of cutting him off financially and Meghan claimed an unnamed royal made a comment about Archie’s skin tone before he was born.
Their move to California and the signing of lucrative media contracts had prompted dismay within royal circles.
But at least there were no signs of the Netflix cameras in St Paul’s that had followed them around at the Invictus Games in the Netherlands a few months prior in April.
Meghan and Kate had not been together properly since the Duchess of Sussex accused her sister-in-law in her TV interview with Oprah Winfrey of making her cry over bridesmaids’ dresses.
It is impossible to know how the Royal Family felt about having to share the event with Harry and Meghan, but one could imagine the service would have been tense.
Theresa May, Philip May, Samantha Cameron, David Cameron, Sarah Brown, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and Cherie Blair all attended the service
Peter Phillips, Meghan, Prince Harry, Zara Tindall and Viscount Linley outside St Paul’s
Meghan and Zara Tindall outside St Paul’s Cathedral after the Service of Thanksgiving
One royal insider said they believed the couple had taken their ‘low-key’ cue from the Queen, who had made clear that she didn’t want the Jubilee celebrations to be about herself but a means to bring the nation together after a difficult few years.
‘Her Majesty has made clear that this shouldn’t even be about herself, let alone family dramas. Even the Sussexes respect that,’ they said.
The day before the ceremony, the Sussexes introduced their little girl Lilibet to the Queen.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex wanted a private photographer to capture the moment their daughter met her namesake, The Sun reported at the time.
However, they were allegedly told ‘no chance’ because it was a ‘private family meeting’.
Trust was so low between the Sussexes and the rest of the family at this point that Palace insiders may have worried any photos taken by Harry and Meghan would be shared with US TV networks.
At 2.28pm, Harry and Meghan arrived at their home of Frogmore Cottage, leaving the rest of the Royal Family to attend a reception without them.
For Harry the whole day must be the hardest of homecomings to royal life, because he had been reduced to little more than a spectator.
William and Kate leave after attending the Service of Thanksgiving
Prince Charles and Camilla speak with William and Kate after arriving at St Paul’s Cathedral
As someone who had always made his dislike of the ‘Spare’ identity known, he might have preferred the obscurity of being among the cousins who reside far down the royal line of succession.
On the occasion of the last two Jubilees in 2012 and 2002, the prince had enjoyed favoured status and a prominent role alongside William and Prince Charles, basking in the affection of the public.
The 2022 occasion revealed the affection no longer existed from the public who had been wearied by his endless sniping at the royals and at the country.
The tragedy is that before Meghan came along, Harry was beloved by the public – even managing to beat every other royal, including the beloved Queen, to finish first place in a national poll of the public’s favourite royal in November 2018.
Meghan’s arrival in his life changed so much of that. But was this her fault, or was it down to Harry’s uncertainty over how to bring a fragrant Hollywood figure into the restrictive and highly controlled world of royal life?
Rather than stay and use her undoubted talents as a force for change, they chose to abandon his heritage and his birthright for the riches of celebrity and life in California, according to royal expert Richard Kay.
It is tempting to wonder if the diminished role he had and the booing crowd gave him pause for thought on the steps of St Paul’s.
But since that day there has been no lasting sign of family rapprochement, nor warmth from the public.
Instead, Harry remains in self-imposed exile in California, although at least he can’t hear the boos from there.
Prince William Hires Princess Diana‘s Divorce Lawyers, Shocking Palace
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Prince William has hired his late mother Princess Diana’s divorce lawyers in an unexpected move that’s “shocked” the palace. According to a new report, William is working with the firm Mishcon de Reya and has instructed them to act on his and his family’s behalf. He was previously represented by King Charles’s lawyers, Harbottle & Lewis.
“William wanted to strike out on his own,” a source tells the Daily Mail, who broke this news. “He did not want to continue using his father’s lawyers. It’s as simple as that. He wants to be his own man.”
Apparently, William’s unexpected move is “the talk of legal circles” and Buckingham Palace thinks it’s “the latest example of his desire to follow a different path from that of his father.” One of Prince William’s friends pretty much confirmed this to the Daily Mail, saying “William wants to do things differently from his father, and wants to be seen to do them differently.”
Circling back to Princess Diana’s divorce from King Charles real quick, her legal team definitely came through. As part of the settlement agreement, she was able to retain her apartments at Kensington Palace, was given access to jets used by the royal family, and was able to use the state apartments at St. James’s Palace for entertaining. She also received a rumored lump-sum payment of $22.5 million in cash, plus $600,000 a year for her office, per the New York Times.
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