Is Meghan Markle the reason behind Sentebale crisis? Here's why Prince Harry is 'deeply depressed' amidst ongoing probe

As it seems, wherever Meghan Markle goes, controversy follows!

At this rate, it won’t even be a surprise if she’s renamed as Meghan, Duchess of Feuds.


The Duchess of Sussex has once again found herself in the middle of a high-voltage drama amidst Prince Harry quitting one of the charities closest to his heart - Sentebale .

And as it turns out, Meghan might be the actual reason behind the rift between Prince Harry and Dr. Sophie Chandauka , the chairwoman of the said charity, that led the Duke of Sussex to quit his long-loved charity.



What happened?

Last month, Prince Harry announced that he, along with his co-founder and all five of its trustees, was quitting the Sentebale charity that he and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho founded in 2006 in honor of their late mothers.

Prince Harry and Seeiso said in a statement, “With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as Patrons of the organization until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same,” adding, “It is devastating that the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation.”

While Dr. Chandauka claimed “misogynoir” was to blame for why the “Spare” author and board of trustees resigned, she also accused Harry of launching a “damaging” attack that led to her allegedly being harassed and bullied

Now, Prince Harry is reportedly “deeply depressed and embarrassed” by the probe into his charity Sentebale, and devastated that the foundation he started to honor his late mother has been “ripped away” from him. As a source told Paula Froelich of NewsNation, ”He loves his charities — this is what he wants to spend his life doing and now, one of them is gone … and in the most horrible way.”



The rift:

The issues that have unraveled after the Duke of Sussex abruptly resigned from the charity he co-founded all reportedly began with the Duchess of Sussex.

A source told the US Sun, “The problem, though, started with Meghan — Meghan doesn’t like Sophie.”

Reportedly, a “rude” Meghan Markle never liked Dr. Sophie Chandauka, and there was friction between the two of them at a Sentebale charity polo match in Miami last April after the duchess showed up unannounced and asked Chandauka to move during the trophy ceremony.

The insider claimed that Markle refused to mingle at the charity’s Royal Salute Polo Challenge, which was held in Florida in April 2024, and instead drank champagne with pal Serena Williams.

Last week, Dr. Chandauka claimed in an interview with Sky News that the “Suits” alum and the tennis champion showed up unannounced to the polo event — after previously informing event organizers that she would not attend.

A source claimed to the US Sun, “She [Dr. Chandauka] wanted to take her around, to introduce her to other people, but Meghan didn’t want to mingle or engage with those supporting the event.”


Chandauka claim:

In an interview with Sky News, Dr. Sophie Chandauka made several claims about her past experiences with Prince Harry and the organization, including an incident at a polo fundraiser last year with Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.

Chandauka said in her interview that for the 2024 Royal Salute Polo Challenge in Florida, Prince Harry wanted to bring a Netflix crew to the event, which led the charity to lose its original venue due to increased costs, forcing a switch to a different one. An additional last-minute change occurred when the Duchess of Sussex, who was not originally planned to be there, attended.

As per Chandauka, "The duchess decided to attend, but she told us she wasn't attending, and she brought a friend, a very famous friend.”

That led to an awkward moment where, according to Chandauka, "The choreography went badly on stage because we had too many people on stage. The international press captured this, and there was a lot of talk about the duchess and the choreography on stage and whether she should have been there and her treatment of me."

Chandauka claimed that the media attention from that moment prompted Prince Harry to ask that she issue a statement in support of Markle. She said, "I said I wouldn't. Not because I didn't care about the duchess, but because I knew what would happen if I did so, number one. And number two, because we cannot be an extension of the Sussexes."

Chandauka, who was on Sentebale's board before becoming chair, accused Prince Harry of wanting "to force a failure and then come to the rescue". However, she insists on remaining optimistic, saying, "The team is resolved that Sentebele will live on, with or without you."

Chandauka has also called Prince Harry’s brand "toxic" and claimed it hindered the group, after he and several others quit the organisation earlier this week. Speaking to the Financial Times, Chandauka said she first felt tensions with Prince Harry a year ago.

Prince Harry has said he, and co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, stepped down because the relationship between the charity's trustees and Dr Chandauka "broke down beyond repair".

However, Chandauka has strongly defended her record as chair, adding: "The number-one risk for this organisation was the toxicity of its lead patron's brand." She also claimed that Prince Harry tried to “eject” her from Sentebale, and accused him of being the “number one risk” to the charity. She also claimed that many of the charity’s sponsors had walked away around the same time the Sussexes left the UK. When she asked why, she was told that it was “an uncomfortable conversation to have with Prince Harry in the room.”


More on Sentebale:

Harry founded the African foundation in 2006 with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in honor of his mother, Princess Diana , who opened the UK’s first HIV/AIDS unit at London Middlesex Hospital in 1987. Sentebale “provides comprehensive support for children and young people, including those living with HIV/AIDS.”

The people’s princess also famously shook the hand of a man suffering from the disease.