Prince Enrique accused of «intimidation and harassment» by head of the NGO who co -founded

Prince Enrique was accused this Sunday of «intimidation and harassment» by the president of a non -governmental organization that works in Africa and that he co -founded, but from which he took distance after an internal conflict.

The youngest son of King Carlos III was so far ascenas of the NGO Sentebale, one of the few commitments he retained after his explosive break with the British monarchy in 2020 and the loss of his real sponsorship.

Prince Enrique announced however on Tuesday he left the beneficial organization «devastated» after a conflict between the administrators and the president of the Board of Directors, Sophie Chandauka, appointed in 2023.

Chandauka was also accused of mismanagement by members of the Board of Directors, who requested their resignation. The case has been sent to the courts.

In an interview granted on Sunday to Sky News, Chandauka lashed out directly against the prince, accusing him of having done everything possible to force her to leave her position in the organization.

«What Prince Enrique wanted to do was expel me, and that lasted months. He extended for months, in the form of intimidation and harassment, ”he said. He also assured that «he had evidence of it.»

The channel tried to contact the Prince, who lives in California with his wife Meghan and his two children, but without success.

According to an anonymous source close to the administrators cited by BBC, they «expected» what they described as an «advertising maneuver» urred by Chandauka.

Culture of silence?

Chandauka denounced on Sunday a culture of «silence» in the organization, with members of the Board reluctant to pronounce against the Duke of Sussex or simply talk about controversial issues.

He also referred to the loss of many donors, which he blamed, with supporting documents, at the exit of Prince Enrique from the United Kingdom in 2020.

Chandauka also spoke of the prince’s decision to bring a shooting team of the Netflix platform – with which he has a very lucrative contract – to the collection of funds last year, which was held during a Polo match.

The images, which went around the world, showed a fairly strange scene between the president of the organization and the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, both wanting to hold the trophy on stage.

After the episode, Enrique «asked me to make a statement to support the Duchess,» said Chandauka.

The former director of the Board of Directors, Kelllo Lerotholi, however declared Sky News who had never witnessed any request for this type by Prince Enrique.

«I can sincerely say that in the meetings that I have attended there has never been the slightest indication of this,» he said.

Lynda Chalker, who was a member of the Board of Directors of the African charity for almost 20 years, told The Times that Chandauka’s style was «almost dictatorial.»

Enrique co -founded Sentebale when he was 21 years old, to continue the work of his late mother, Princess Diana, deeply committed to the fight against AIDS.

Sentebale works in particular with children and young people who were orphaned by the AIDS epidemic in Lesoto, a small poor country nestled in South Africa, and in Botsuana.

AFP