Prince Harry is no stranger to controversy, especially since taking a step back from his royal duties in 2020 and returning to Hollywood with wife Meghan Markle. However, this latest situation has nothing to do with his familial relationships or even his allegation-filled memoir, Spare. The Prince has come under fire recently as he has severed ties with Dr. Sophie Chandauka, the chairwoman of Sentebale, which is the African charity co-founded by Prince Harry.
The relationship the Duke of Sussex and Dr. Chandauka has apparently been strained after a charity fundraiser went wrong. Allegedly, it was the Sussexes’s deal with Netflix and Harry and his wife’s much-discussed public image that factored into all of this.
There Was A Conflict Over The Charity Venue
Dr. Chandauka opened up about her relationship with Prince Harry during an interview with Sky News. She accused him and his PR team of bullying her and harassing her after disagreements they faced as a result of a polo charity fundraiser. The charity's chair revealed that their original choice of venue ended up having to be changed after the Sussexes insisted on filming their new Netflix project on location at the event. Dr. Chandauka claimed they originally were able to strike up a deal with the venue, saying:
[The venue owners were] happy for us to use their polo grounds at a material discount.
After the Netflix show came into play however, the charity event became a “commercial venture,” and they were apparently no longer able to afford the venue for the event. Ultimately, though, with Prince Harry’s connections, the charity was able to find another venue. Yet that was supposedly only the beginning of the collaboration strain tied to this event.
How Did Meghan Markle's Unexpected Arrival Play A Role In This?
After the venue situation was sorted out, more complications apparently arose. Dr. Chandauka alleges that Markle arrived unannounced at the polo event with a celebrity friend. This resulted in an awkwardly choreographed picture taken on stage. The charity head said it looked strange because she wasn’t expecting Markle to be there. Said awkwardness was heavily reported on by the press, and Markle’s alleged attitude towards Dr. Chandauka ended up overshadowing the entire event.
After Markle received this backlash for the clunky charity moment, Dr. Chandauka claimed that Prince Harry asked her to make a statement of support towards his wife, which the chair refused to do. She explained:
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.
Dr. Chandauka also lamented that the Sussexes seemed to be doing more harm than good to the charity due to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s reputation and controversial public image. She additionally alleged that Harry was trying to oust her from the charity and made claims about his poor attendance at meetings for the organization. The Duke of Sussex released a statement denying this and the bullying allegations. Harry claimed that Dr. Chandauka was the one doing damage to the charity for her own self interest.
This story still seems to be evolving, with a clear back and forth here. What seems to be evident, though, is that Prince Harry and Dr. Chandauka’s working relationship is damaged. On the whole, this latest matter comes on the heels of toxic media attention the Sussexes have received in the last few years. As for whether this conflict persists, that remains to be seen. As for the new project the Duke and Duchess are producing for Netflix subscription holders, it remains to be seen if it'll do more harm than good.
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