The Duke of Sussex expressed his heartache at having to step back from his Sentebale charity in a joint statement with his co-founder and friend, Prince Seeiso.
The pair set up the organisation in 2006 to help children orphaned by Aids in the impoverished southern African, landlocked kingdom of Lesotho.
It was Prince Harry's first ever patronage and he was inspired to set up the charity after spending part of his gap year in Lesotho in 2004.
He once vowed to never walk away from Sentebale, founded in honour of his late mother Diana's honour.
So why has Harry resigned from his longest-running charity that he set up nearly two decades ago?
The Duke and the Prince's decision to step down has come down to a fallout between Sentebale's trustees and the chair of its board.
© GettyHarry and Seeiso's joint statement read, in part, said: "With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as Patrons of the organisation until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same.
"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."
© Getty ImagesAccording to The Times, it is understood that the leadership row is centred around a loss in trust and confidence in chairwoman, Dr Sophie Chandauka. The Zimbabwe-born corporate finance lawyer was appointed to the post last year and is believed to have taken legal action against the trustees after they reportedly questioned whether she was best placed to chair the board.
In their statement, Harry and Prince Seeiso backed the departing trustees, writing: "These trustees acted in the best interest of the charity in asking the chair to step down, while keeping the wellbeing of staff in mind. In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship."
© Getty ImagesThey added: "What's transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock that we have to do this, but we have a continued responsibility to Sentebale's beneficiaries, so we will be sharing all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about."
Former trustees Timothy Boucher, Mark Dyer, Audrey Kgosidintsi, Dr Kelello Lerotholi, and Damian West also released a statement saying their decision to resign was "devastating" but was the "result of our loss in trust and confidence in the chair of the board".
In her response, Dr Sophie Chandauka said she reported the trustees to the UK Charity Commission and had "blown the whistle" about issues including abuse of power, bullying, sexism and racism.
HELLO!'s Royal Editor Emily Nash said: "This will be a devastating moment for Prince Harry nearly 20 years after he founded Sentebale in memory of his mother. I've seen the work of the charity on the ground in Lesotho and it is incredibly inspiring and makes a real difference to the lives of young people there.
"But I think it also made a huge difference to his life in return, giving him a focus at a time in his life when he was navigating early adulthood in the public eye."
Timeline of Sentebale – from launch to Harry's resignation
2004 – Prince Harry spend two months on a working visit to Lesotho during his gap year, where he met with Aids orphans and vulnerable young people. This trip inspired him to set up his own charity two years later.
2006 – Together with Prince Seeiso, Harry set up Sentebale – which means "forget me not" in the Sesotho language, in tribute to his late mother Diana's legacy. That year, the Prince, then 21, returned to Lesotho where he was reunited with orphan Relebohile "Mutsu" Potsane he first met on his gap year.
© Getty2009 – It emerges that the organisation had received £250,000 from Lord Ashcroft, the wealthy Conservative Party donor.
2010 – The first polo cup is held and Harry has regularly played in the annual tournament. Since its inception, it has raised more than £11 million to support Sentebale's work.
2015 – Harry attended the official opening of the Mamohato Children's Centre, a flagship facility that supports all of Sentebale’s work with vulnerable children in Lesotho.
© Getty Images for Sentebale2016 – The charity launches a new operation in Botswana.
2020 – After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the decision to step back as senior royals in 2020, it was to Sentebale that Harry delivered his first public speech following the shock announcement.
At a dinner for supporters, Harry confirmed he would retain his patronage of the charity, saying: "When I lost my mum 23 years ago, you took me under your wing.
"You've looked out for me for so long, but the media is a powerful force, and my hope is one day our collective support for each other can be more powerful because this is so much bigger than just us.
"What I want to make clear is, we’re not walking away, and we certainly aren't walking away from you."
2023 - Johnny Hornby resigns as chair of the charity after five years as chair, after which Dr Chandauka was appointed to the role.
2024 – In October, Harry visits Lesotho for the first time in six years to showcase Sentebale's work.
2025 - The Duke and Prince Seeiso release a joint statement announcing their resignation amid a leadership row between the trustees and the chair.
