By Peter Omopo
Prince Harry is facing a defamation lawsuit filed by Sentebale, a charity he co-founded, according to court records.
The legal action, which also names former trustee Mark Dyer as a defendant, was filed on March 24 and centres on allegations of libel and slander. The charity claims it has suffered reputational damage following what it described as an “adverse media campaign” linked to the dispute.
In a statement issued on behalf of its trustees and executive director, Sentebale said the lawsuit seeks the court’s “intervention, protection, and restitution” against what it believes are coordinated media attacks undermining its work and leadership.
Prince Harry and Dyer have yet to publicly respond to the allegations.
The lawsuit follows a prolonged and public dispute over the management of the organisation, which led to Prince Harry’s departure from the charity in 2025. His co-founder, Prince Seeiso, also stepped down alongside several trustees amid disagreements with the charity’s chair, Sophie Chandauka.
The disagreement had previously drawn the attention of the Charity Commission, which conducted an investigation into the matter. In its findings released in August 2025, the regulator attributed blame to multiple parties and criticised the dispute for being handled publicly in a way that damaged the charity’s reputation and distracted from its mission.
Chief Executive of the Commission, David Holdsworth, noted that the public nature of the conflict risked overshadowing the organisation’s achievements and undermining its ability to serve beneficiaries.
Sentebale was founded in 2006 by Prince Harry in honour of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, to support vulnerable young people in Botswana and Lesotho, particularly those affected by HIV and AIDS.
The case marks a significant escalation in the ongoing dispute and raises concerns about the potential impact on the charity’s operations and public image.
