Court documents have shown that Prince Harry is being sued for defamation by the Sentebale charity he co-founded in honour of his late mother Princess Diana

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Prince Harry is being sued by the Sentebale charity (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Duke of Sussex is being sued for defamation by the Sentebale charity, according to High Court records.

Prince Harry helped set up the charity in 2006 to support young people living with HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana. He co-founded the charity in honour of his late mum, Princess Diana and resigned his patron role in 2025 after having a fall-out with the board’s chair, Sophie Chandauka.

It has now emerged Sentebale lodged the defamation claim against the Duke of Sussex last month as well as against his pal Mark Dyer, a previous trustee of the charity. No further details have emerged about what the lawsuit involved.

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Prince Harry had a fall-out with Sophie Chandauka(Image: PA)

Harry previously described the fall-out with Chandauka as devastating. She has since reported him and the trustees of the charity to the UK’s charity regulatory over alleged bullying and harassment. She previous said his “unleashing of the Sussex machine” had fractured their relationship and between him and the 540 people who work for the charity.

She claimed the Duke had briefed the press about stepping back from the charity before she or the executive director knew. The Charity Commission previously criticised all parties in the fall-out for allowing it to play out publicly.

It added: “The Commission has identified a lack of clarity around role descriptions and internal policies as the primary cause for weaknesses in the charity’s management. It finds that this confusion exacerbated tensions, which culminated in a dispute and multiple resignations of trustees and both founding patrons.

“The regulator has criticised all parties to the dispute for allowing it to play out publicly, and further concluded that the then trustees’ failure to resolve disputes internally severely impacted the charity’s reputation and risked undermining public trust in charities more generally.”

The regulator, which cannot investigate individual allegations of bullying, found no evidence of systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir at the charity, but acknowledged “the strong perception of ill treatment” felt by some involved.

A source said in August 2025 that Harry had been left emotionally devastated by the events, after 19 years of working with the charity. The charity works in Botswana and Lesotho, supporting the health and wellbeing of young people, especially those with HIV and Aids.

After conducting its regulatory compliance case, the commission issued a Regulatory Action Plan with Sentebale saying it had complied with the steps, from implementing an internal dispute policy to improving the charity’s complaints and whistle-blowing procedures.

The trustees who resigned said in a statement they were “gravely concerned for the future of the charity”, adding they were “disheartened” by the way the regulator had “chosen to ignore key concerns and irrefutable evidence raised with them regarding the leadership and oversight of Sentebale’s chair”.

Sentebale said in a statement: “The Charity Commission is explicitly clear, including in its public guidance, that it is not the commission’s responsibility to adjudicate or mediate internal disputes. This would include individual allegations of bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir etc.

“As a result, the commission has not investigated any individual allegations and therefore has not made any findings in relation to individuals, including Prince Harry. The issues not investigated by the commission can and may be dealt with through avenues more appropriate than the commission.”