EXCLUSIVE: Prince Harry ‘Totally Lost and Without Purpose’ as War Erupts Over His Failed Race Scandal-Hit Charity
Prince Harry was hoping to follow in his late mother's footsteps with his charity work before the scandal hit.
Aug. 7 2025, Published 3:28 p.m. ET
Prince Harry has told friends he feels “totally lost and without purpose” after stepping down from Sentebale, the charity he co-founded nearly 20 years ago, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The under-fire duke was forced out following an explosive power struggle that has engulfed the organization in a racism and mismanagement row.
Cutting Ties
Prince Harry has told friends he feels 'lost.'
Harry, 40, cut ties with Sentebale earlier this year amid a bitter fallout with chairwoman Sophie Chandauka, 45, which prompted a formal investigation by the UK Charity Commission.
While the regulator found no evidence of bullying or harassment, it delivered a damning verdict on the governance of the charity and said failures by all parties had severely damaged its reputation.
According to a source close to the prince, Harry was left reeling after what he sees as a “hostile takeover” of the charity he set up in 2006 with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, 58.
The insider told us: “Harry is devastated. He feels totally lost and without purpose now that Sentebale has been taken from him. He believed in the work, and to walk away was crushing.
“He always wanted to copy his mother, Princess Diana’s charity work, and to have this taken from him is a huge blow.
“He is also marooned in showbiz-land in LA thanks to his wife Meghan’s desperate quest to be seen as a celebrity.
“Basically, he just wants to quit the States and move back to Britain, where he can be part of the royals again, do charity work – and have a few beers with his old rugby pals.
“His life is, for want of a better phrase, now in the toilet.”
The Commission’s report into Harry’s charity revealed the scale of the breakdown at the good cause.
The Commission’s report into Harry’s charity, released in April, revealed the scale of the breakdown at the good cause, which was once seen as a cornerstone of the duke’s post-royal philanthropic identity.
It cited “significant governance weaknesses” and criticized trustees for failing to manage internal disputes, which had spilled out into the public domain.
“The regulator has criticized all parties to the dispute for allowing it to play out publicly,” the report stated.
“The then trustees’ failure to resolve disputes internally severely impacted the charity’s reputation and risked undermining public trust in charities more generally.”
While the report cleared Harry of personal wrongdoing, it made no secret of the dysfunction shrouding the charity’s leadership, ultimately prompting the resignation of not only the prince, but also all other trustees, including co-founder Prince Seeiso.
Privately, the duke is said to be angry with the Commission’s neutral tone. “He feels they’ve sat on the fence,” a source said. “He wanted accountability. Instead, the person he believes created the chaos remains in place.”
Sentebale, which means “forget me not” in Sesotho, was founded in memory of both princes’ mothers and aimed to support children and young people affected by HIV and AIDS in southern Africa.
The departure of both founders marks a dramatic fall from grace for the once-admired initiative.
A 'Void' In Harry's Life
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Harry quit the charity this year.
In a statement issued by Harry in the wake of him quitting the group, he said: “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.
“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. No one suffers more than the beneficiaries of Sentebale itself.”
Chandauka, a Zimbabwean-born lawyer and corporate executive, has not responded publicly to Harry’s claims.
Her allies argue she sought to professionalize and modernize the charity, which they say had grown too dependent on a single high-profile figure.
But to Harry, the damage appears personal and profound.
As one longtime friend said: “This charity was a link to his mother, to his military service, and to Africa, where he’s always found meaning. Losing it has left a real void.”
