Prince Harry was sued by an African charity he founded in honor of Princess Diana

A charity founded by Prince Harry in Africa to honor his late mother, Princess Diana, is suing him for defamation after he stepped down as patron last year.

Let’s be honestwhich Harry co-founded Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 and helps young people with HIV in southern Africa, filed the lawsuit last month in London’s High Court, according to court records reviewed Friday.

Online filings show that Harry and his friend, Mark Dyer, a charity trustee, are being sued for libel or defamation. No documents were available.

“The charity wants the court to intervene, protect it and reinstate it following the bad media campaign that started on March 25, 2025 which caused disruption and damage to the reputation of the charity, its leadership and partners,” said Sentebale on Friday in a statement on his website.

In the local language of Lesotho, where the charity is based, Sentebale means “forget-me-not-to-forget.”

Disagreement arose in 2023 over a new fundraising strategy. Harry and Seeiso came down as sponsors of the charity in March 2025.

At that time, they said that the relationship between the board and its chairman, Mr. Sophie Chandauka, is irreparable, and they said that they are leaving together with the five trustees who resigned due to the internal conflict that has entered the community.

“What happened is unimaginable. We are shocked that we have to do this, but we have an ongoing responsibility for the beneficiaries of Sentebale, so we will share all our concerns with the Charity Commission on how this happened,” said Harry and Seeiso in a joint statement at the time.

Chandauka later accused Harry of plotting it a campaign of harassment and abuse to try to force him out.

She told Sky News in March that Harry’s resignation had blindsided her and was “an example of abuse and bullying on a massive scale.” He said that he had interfered in a complaint filed by a counselor to a charity.

“So it’s a cover-up, and the prince is also affected,” he said.

The Charity Commission of England and Wales investigated and criticized both parties for allowing the matter to be played out publicly and tarnishing the organisation’s reputation, but found no evidence of widespread bullying or misconduct by women at Sentebale.

“Sentebale’s problems were exposed to the public eye, allowing a damaging controversy to damage the charity’s reputation, risk overshadowing many of its achievements, and jeopardize the charity’s ability to deliver to the beneficiaries it was designed to serve,” commission chief executive David Holdsworth said in an August 2025 statement.

Harry’s spokesman criticized the commission’s report while Chandauka welcomed it.

Messages seeking comment sent Friday to the Duke of Sussex’s office were not immediately returned.