The African AIDS charity Sentebale, cofounded by the United Kingdom's Prince Harry approximately two decades ago in honor of his late mother Princess Diana, has filed a defamation lawsuit against him and former trustee Mark Dyer in the High Court of England and Wales. In a statement issued on Friday, the charity stated it seeks "the court’s intervention, protection and restitution following a coordinated adverse media campaign conducted since 25 March 2025 that has caused operational disruption and reputational harm to the charity, its leadership and its strategic partners."

A spokesperson for Prince Harry reportedly told the Reuters news agency that he "categorically" rejects the "offensive and damaging" libel claim. Online court filings indicate the prince and Dyer are named as defendants. Sentebale added that "the proceedings have been brought against Prince Harry and Mark Dyer, identified through evidence as the architects of that adverse media campaign, which has had significant viral impact and triggered an onslaught of cyber-bullying directed at the charity and its leadership."

Harry established Sentebale with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho as a tribute to Diana, who was a prominent advocate for HIV and AIDS treatment and worked to reduce stigma surrounding the disease. Disagreements within the charity emerged in 2023 over a new fundraising strategy, leading both founders to step down as patrons in March 2025 in support of trustees who had resigned. At that time, they claimed the relationship between the board and its chair, Sophie Chandauka, was irreparable. Chandauka later accused Harry of orchestrating a campaign of bullying and harassment to force her out.

After a months-long inquiry, the UK’s Charity Commission stated in August that it found no evidence of bullying – a charge Chandauka had leveled at Harry in March 2025. However, the commission noted there had been weak governance and criticized all parties for allowing an internal dispute to become public. Harry’s spokesperson had criticized the commission’s report, while Chandauka welcomed it.

This lawsuit represents a further setback for the prince, who retained only a handful of his private patronages, including Sentebale, following his dramatic split with the British royal family in 2020. Harry chose the name Sentebale, meaning "forget me not" in the Sesotho language and also used to say goodbye, as a homage to Diana, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997 when the prince was just 12 years old.

Source: www.aljazeera.com