Prince Harry is being sued by the charity he founded in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana, following a high-profile dispute with its chairwoman.
Sentebale, which helps young people with HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana, has launched a High Court lawsuit for libel and slander against Harry and former royal equerry Mark Dyer.
It comes after Harry dramatically quit the charity’s board earlier this year following a bitter public feud with Sophie Chandauka, whose leadership he described as ‘untenable’.
Sentebale, which means ‘forget-me-not’ in the language of Lesotho, southern Africa, was co-founded by the prince in 2006. It has faced a funding crisis since his departure a year ago.
His row with Ms Chandauka resulted in accusations of racism and misogyny, the mass resignation of the board and a damning Charity Commission report.
The 41-year-old prince later called the breakdown in the relationship with ms Chandauka ‘devastating’, while she reported him and the trustees to the Charity Commission.
Prince Harry poses with Sophie Chandauka in happier times
After a review, it found no evidence of bullying, but said there had been weak governance and criticised all parties for allowing an internal dispute to become public.
Sources close to Harry later criticised Ms Chandauka’s leadership, saying the ‘consequences of her actions will not be borne by her, but by the children who rely on Sentebale’s support’.
Court records gave no details about the lawsuit against Harry and Mr Dyer, who was also a trustee of the charity.