Prince Harry’s embattled Sentebale charity has lost another trustee — shortly after the royal stepped down from the foundation he co-founded.
Nerissa Naidu resigned just weeks after being appointed as a new trustee, Daily Mail editor Richard Eden revealed in an article published Wednesday.
Naidu, a South African entrepreneur who joined the board on March 25, has yet to comment on her departure.
Sentebale confirmed, however, that Naidu has “chosen to step down out of respect for her other professional commitments.”
The foundation said they have “deeply appreciated her tremendous support and insights in recent weeks and her interest in Sentebale over a long period of time.”
The charity also acknowledged that within the past few weeks, it has been “a particularly difficult time to have joined the organization.”
Naidu’s exit comes after Dr. Margaret Ikpoh’s recent resignation, reportedly leaving just three trustees in place: Iain Rawlinson, Dr. Bhakti Hansoti and Dr. Sophie Chandauka.
Back in March, shortly after news broke that Harry and his co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, quit the charity, Chandauka claimed that “misogynoir” (defined as the “hatred of, aversion to, or prejudice against Black women”) was to blame.
“Beneath all the victim narrative and fiction that has been syndicated to press is the story of a woman who dared to blow the whistle about issues of poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir and the cover-up that ensued,” the chairwoman told the London Times at the time.
Harry reacted by calling Chandauka’s claims “blatant lies.”
“From the inception of Sentebale nearly 20 years ago, Prince Seeiso and I have had a clear goal: to support the children and young people in Southern Africa in memory of our mothers,” Harry said in a statement on April 3.
“What has transpired over the last week has been heartbreaking to witness, especially when such blatant lies hurt those who have invested decades in this shared goal.”
Chandauka also accused Harry of “harassment and bullying.”
“The only reason I’m here … is because at some point on Tuesday, Prince Harry authorized the release of a damaging piece of news to the outside world without informing me or my country directors, or my executive director,” the Zimbabwean corporate finance lawyer told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips in March.
“And can you imagine what that attack has done for me, on me and the 540 individuals in the Sentebale organizations and their [families]?” she asked. “That is an example of harassment and bullying at scale.”
Harry originally co-founded the charity in 2006 in honor of his late mother, Princess Diana.
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