A defamation case brought by Sentebale against the charity’s co-founder, Prince Harry, has been put on hold amid concerns about potentially crippling legal costs.
The Duke of Sussex is being sued over allegations that he helped coordinate an “adverse media campaign” against Sentebale, resulting in “operational disruption and reputational harm”.
However, the charity’s income fell by 20 per cent in the months after it launched the claim. The proceedings have now stalled amid fears that losing the case could leave Sentebale unable to survive the cost of the legal bills.
Harry is willing to take the matter to trial to clear his name. If the case proceeds and Sentebale loses, the charity could face a payout as well as responsibility for both sides’ legal costs.
All parties have now agreed to extend the deadline for filing an acknowledgement of service and a defence. As a result, the full particulars of the claim cannot be made public at this stage.
Sentebale’s latest accounts show that the charity recorded approximately £2million in income in 2025, down from £2.5million in 2024 after adjusting the longer reporting period to 12 months.
Revenue from events plunged from £715,000 in 2024 to £70,000 last year, reflecting the end of Harry’s polo tournaments in support of the charity. Donations, however, rose by £50,000 year on year to £342,000 in 2025.
Prince Harry and Sentebale’s chair Dr Sophie Chandauka at an event in Miami in April 2024
Dr Chandauka with the Sussexes at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge in Miami in April 2024
Online court filings revealed in April that the duke was a defendant in a libel or slander case alongside his childhood mentor, Mark Dyer, a former Sentebale trustee.
Harry later responded through a statement issued on behalf of both himself and Mr Dyer, saying they “categorically reject these offensive and damaging claims”.
At the time, Sentebale’s board of trustees and executive director said in a statement published on the charity’s website that the organisation was seeking the court’s “protection”.
They said the charity had been “deeply moved” by the generosity of donors who had “stood firm alongside them”, adding that Sentebale’s work was becoming “increasingly critical”.
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In March last year, Harry and fellow founder Prince Seeiso stepped down as Sentebale’s patrons in support of a group of trustees who resigned following a dispute with the charity’s chairwoman, Dr Sophie Chandauka.
The dispute followed an awkward exchange between Dr Chandauka and Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, at a Sentebale charity polo event in Miami in April 2024. During the event, the duchess asked Dr Chandauka to move away from Harry.
After Harry resigned, Dr Chandauka appeared on television and accused him of “harassment and bullying at scale” and of “playing the victim card”. She also said that “the number-one risk for this organisation was the toxicity of its lead patron’s brand”.
The duke denied the allegations. The Charity Commission later published a report into the dispute, criticising all sides for allowing the fallout to unfold publicly through interviews and statements.
Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho at an event in Maseru, Lesotho, in October 2024
Harry holds a young child during a visit to a children’s centre in Bute-Bute, Lesotho, in 2014
The commission said all parties had allowed the dispute to become public and found that every trustee had contributed to a “missed opportunity” to resolve the issues behind the serious disagreement. It warned that the conflict risked damaging public trust in charities more broadly.
The regulator, which cannot investigate individual allegations of bullying, found no evidence of systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir at the charity, but acknowledged ‘the strong perception of ill treatment’ felt by some involved.
A source said in August last year that Harry had been left emotionally devastated by the events, after 19 years of working with the charity.
Sentebale works in Botswana and Lesotho supporting the health and wellbeing of young people, especially those with HIV and Aids.
Harry and Prince Seeiso co-founded the charity in honour of the duke’s late mother Princess Diana, who died in 1997.
Harry’s representative declined to comment today. The Daily Mail has also contacted Sentebale for comment.
Reports of the case being put on hold were first revealed by the Telegraph.