Prince Harry sued for defamation by charity Sentebale he co-founded

Prince Harry sued for defamation by charity Sentebale he co-founded

The Duke of Sussex is currently facing a defamation lawsuit brought by Sentebale, the charity he co-founded. Sentebale, which focuses on supporting young people in southern Africa, claims the legal action stems from what it describes as a damaging media campaign that has caused significant disruption and harmed the reputation of both the organization and its leadership.

Representatives for Prince Harry, as well as Mark Dyer, a former trustee of the charity who is also named in the lawsuit, have strongly denied these allegations. They stated, “They categorically reject these offensive and damaging claims.” This dispute follows Prince Harry’s departure from Sentebale last year during a contentious disagreement over the charity’s management.

The legal documents filed on 24 March list both Prince Harry and Mark Dyer as defendants in a case concerning defamation through libel and slander. Sentebale’s trustees and executive director have issued a statement explaining that the court action seeks judicial protection and restitution in response to what they allege are coordinated media attacks undermining the charity’s work and efforts to assist vulnerable young people.

The charity assured that the costs associated with the legal proceedings are covered entirely by external funding, with no use of charitable funds. On the other hand, the spokesperson for Prince Harry and Mark Dyer expressed the view that Sentebale’s resources and attention would be better devoted to supporting the communities it serves, rather than engaging in this legal battle. The two founders, including Prince Seeiso, stepped down from Sentebale in March 2025 amid a bitter conflict with the charity’s chair, Sophie Chandauka, which involved disputes over financial management and fundraising approaches.

The disagreements within Sentebale had escalated publicly, leading to a formal inquiry by the Charity Commission. This watchdog concluded in August 2025 that fault lay with all parties involved and criticized the public nature of the dispute for damaging the charity’s reputation and affecting its capacity to fulfill its mission. David Holdsworth, the Charity Commission’s chief executive, commented: “Sentebale’s problems played out in the public eye, enabling a damaging dispute to harm the charity’s reputation, risk overshadowing its many achievements, and jeopardising the charity’s ability to deliver for the very beneficiaries it was created to serve.”

Prince Harry originally launched Sentebale in 2006 as a tribute to his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, with the goal of aiding young people in Botswana and Lesotho, especially those affected by HIV and AIDS. Following his departure from the charity, he contributed an additional £1.2 million from the proceeds of his memoir, *Spare*. Prince Harry has described leaving the charity as “devastating.

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