Prince Harry ‘lost interest’ in African charity Sentebale after marrying Meghan Markle, insider claims
Prince Harry lost interest in Sentebale, the African charity he founded in 2006 before he resigned in March, after marrying Meghan Markle, a Lesotho government official has claimed.
The Duke of Sussex’s waning attention had “killed the spirit” of the charity after he and the “Suits” alum quit royal life in 2020 and hightailed it across the pond, Chief Khoabane Theko, told The Telegraph.
Last month, Harry and all of the other trustees on the charity board sensationally resigned from the youth-focused organization. He admitted he was devastated and “in shock” to have to step down.
As the fallout from the duke’s decision continues, Theko admitted that he was “perturbed” that Harry had failed to visit Lesotho more often.
The former working royal last visited Lesotho in October 2024 — but the visit marked his first in 6 years.
Before marrying Markle in 2018, the duke had made four separate trips to the African country between 2010 and 2015.
“When [Sentebale] was launched, I remember his words quite vividly, because he was very strong in saying ‘my mother, this place, her passion about Africa’ and all that,” Theko told the outlet.
“He’s a loved figure because of his openness, but his loss of interest has totally killed the spirit of the Sentebale’s survival.”
“I haven’t seen him [Prince Harry] since he got himself married,” the Lesotho official added.
Theko said that he had previously regarded Harry as a “very down-to-earth person” who was not “self-indulgent” during his more frequent visits.
“I’m surprised that he’s relinquishing the [charity] at this stage when one expected that he would jealously guard it, because it’s under his mother’s legacy and I thought he would want to die for it,” Theko said.
“Unless, maybe, he is prepared to come after and come fix it and get it back because I do not believe it comes easy to him to want to give it up, like he’s doing it’s a little bit strange for me.”
Elsewhere, Theko claimed that the Duchess of Sussex, 43, “never came” to Lesotho, describing her as a “far-away person” to locals.
“Did she never come to Lesotho, Meghan? No she hasn’t. So it seems like she’s a far-away person for us, we do not know about her,” he said of the former actress.
The couple took several trips to Africa together over the years, including a vacation in Botswana for Markle’s 37th birthday in 2017.
Theko said he was surprised the Sussexes didn’t make a stop in Lesotho during their several African visits.
“I was surprised to see them come to Botswana but not Lesotho, knowing what they have in Lesotho would be bringing them closer to our shores,” he said. “But they returned from Botswana and I was a little bit perturbed by that.”
The official said he had hoped that Harry and Markle would visit Lesotho more frequently, adding, “I thought they would do that more often, because he’s been visiting a lot of African states after their marriage.”
The Post has reached out to Harry’s reps for comment.
Since Harry’s abrupt resignation, Sentebale chairwoman Dr Sophie Chandauka has raised alarming allegations and accused the charity’s board of “harassment,” “bullying” and “misogynoir.”
Chandauka, who became leader of the organization in 2023, also claimed Harry had tried to use the charity as “an extension of the Sussex PR machine” to support his wife’s public image.
The organization — which was set up to help AIDs patients in Africa — is now being investigated by the Charity Commission.
Prince Harry and fellow charity co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho said last month that their relationship with Chandauka was broken “beyond repair, creating an untenable situation.”
Chandauka — who first raised concerns in February — welcomed the investigation and revealed that Sentebale had launched an internal review last year and would soon present its findings.
