PRINCE Harry is in “total shock” after being accused of “harassment and bullying” by a charity boss, one of his pals has said.
It is the latest development in a dispute between Sentebale chairwoman Sophie Chandauka and the charity’s co-founder Harry, who quit as its patron last week amid a boardroom battle.
Alex Rayner, who attended Eton with Harry and went to the North Pole with him in 2012, claimed he spoke to him over the weekend.
He said the Duke of Sussex, 40, is “shocked” by the accusations and “feels as if he has had one of his fingers cut off”.
Rayner insisted Harry was “very happy” for him to “speak for him about how he feels”.
He told MailOnline: “He is just beyond heartbroken and flabbergasted that the charity he founded as a teenager has been taken hostage by the chair.
“It feels tantamount to a hostile takeover. He is so upset and hurt and wounded about the things that are being said about him.
“I think it’s too early to tell whether he will just walk away now or whether he might try and get it back.”
Rayner also said he believed the allegations by Ms Chandauka were because she was jealous of his wife Meghan Markle.
It comes after Harry was accused of sending an “unpleasant” and “imperious” message to Ms Chandauka after she failed to publicly quash rumours of a rift with his wife.
Ms Chandauka has already alleged the duke tried to “eject” her through “bullying” and “harassment”.
While a source close to former trustees and patrons of Sentebale dismissed her comments at the weekend as a “publicity stunt”.
During the prize-giving ceremony at a Sentebale fundraising polo match in Miami last April, the Duchess of Sussex appeared to choreograph who stood next to Harry.
And in an awkward moment Ms Chandauka moved from beside the duke to Meghan’s side ducking under the trophy.
The Telegraph claimed a member of Harry’s team asked Ms Chandauka to issue a statement to quash any rumours about tensions with Meghan.
But when she refused the duke reportedly contacted her directly.
ESTHER KRAKUE Victim Prince Harry accused of very thing he & Meghan Markle famously levelled at Royals in delicious twist of irony
By Esther Krakue
WELL, well, well — pot, meet kettle.
In a rather delicious twist of irony, Prince Harry has found himself embroiled in a row over bullying allegations, the very charge he and his wife, Meghan Markle, famously levelled against the Royal Family.
Harry will no doubt be reeling—especially because he’s modelled himself as the ultimate victim and made a fortune doing it.
The saga began last week when Prince Harry stepped down as patron of Sentebale, the charity he co-founded nearly two decades ago in memory of his mother, Princess Diana.
The organisation, which supports orphans and vulnerable children with HIV/AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana, now finds itself in the limelight for all the wrong reasons.
This shift occurred after the charity’s chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka, threw down a heavy gauntlet by levelling serious accusations against it.
Dr Sophie alleges that for months, Harry tried to eject her from her position using tactics she describes as “bullying, harassment, and intimidation”—ouch!
Adding to the drama, Chandauka took the extraordinary step of reporting the charity to the Charity Commission.
Her allegations? A litany of governance failures: poor management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, and a cover-up.
This does not exactly paint the picture of the peaceful, community-led development Sentebale advocates for.
It’s hard to miss the irony here.
We have Prince Harry, who has made a substantial part of his post-royal career (and fortune) by claiming to be a victim of similar mistreatment.
He and Meghan have secured lucrative deals speaking out against the alleged injustices they faced while part of the Royal Family, including a reported $100million deal with Netflix and a headline-making interview with Oprah.
Yet, here he is, accused of similar—if not identical—behaviour.
The newspaper alleged Harry demanded she “explain herself” and claimed sources said the note was “unpleasant” in tone and used “imperious” language.
The duke founded Sentebale in honour of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales in 2006 with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help young people and children in southern Africa, particularly those living with HIV and Aids.
However several trustees have left the organisation in a dispute with Ms Chandauka having requested her resignation.
The dispute arose over a decision to focus fundraising in Africa, according to The Times.
Former trustees Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Kelello Lerotholi and Damian West said their decision to resign was “devastating”.
But it was the “result of our loss in trust and confidence in the chair of the board”.
A source close to the trustees and patrons described Ms Chandauka’s interviews as a “publicity stunt”.
They added: “They remain firm in their resignation, for the good of the charity, and look forward to the adjudication of the truth.”
In a joint statement issued last week Harry and Prince Seeiso backed the departing trustees and stepped back as patrons until further notice.
They said it was “devastating” that the relationship between Sentebale’s trustees and chairwoman of the board “broke down beyond repair”.
The Duke of Sussex’s office was approached for comment.
