ヘンリー王子、アフリカ慈善団体の後援者を辞任　内部対立が原因か

【ロンドンＡＦＰ＝時事】英国のヘンリー王子は、南アフリカで約２０年前に設立した慈善団体「サンタバリー」について、「心残り」ではあるが後援者を辞任すると発表した。（写真は、レソトで慈善団体「サンタバリー」の活動に参加し、耳の聞こえない子どもたちと交流するヘンリー王子とレソトのシーイソ王子）
　ヘンリー王子とレソトのシーイソ王子は２５日夜に発表した共同声明で、２０２３年に任命されたソフィー・チャンダウカ理事長と理事らの間で「激しい」対立があったため、辞任すると明らかにした。関係は「修復不可能」だとしている。
　ヘンリー王子は、２００６年に母親の故ダイアナ元皇太子妃をしのび、ＨＩＶ（ヒト免疫不全ウイルス）とエイズに苦しむレソトの若者を支援するため、同国のセーイソ王子と共に慈善団体を設立。その後、支援対象にボツワナも加えていた。
　対立の原因は明らかにされていないが、チャンダウカ氏は、ハラスメントや女性蔑視、人種差別の告発など、同慈善団体に関する深刻な懸念を提起した後、自身は標的にされたと主張している。
　両王子は、「起こった事態は考えられないことだ。こうした対処をしなければならないことに私たちはショックを受けているが、引き続きサンタバリーの支援対象者への責任は取り続ける」と表明している。
　２０２０年に英王室から離脱したヘンリー王子にとって、同慈善団体での役割は、これまで続けていた数少ない私的な後援活動のうちの一つだった。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/03/27-16:24）

Prince Harry said he had quit as patron of a charity he founded in southern Africa almost 20 years ago with a heavy heart amid a bitter boardroom battle, in a new blow to the royal living in self-exile.
Harry and Lesotho's Prince Seeiso said they were resigning after a devastating dispute between trustees and board chair Sophie Chandauka, who was appointed in 2023.
Relations broke down beyond repair, they said in a joint statement late Tuesday.
Harry had vowed not to walk away from the Sentebale charity in his first public speech after he dramatically split from Britain's royal family in 2020.
He founded the charity in 2006 in honour of his mother Princess Diana with Seeiso to help young people with HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and later Botswana.
What's transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock that we have to do this, but we have a continued responsibility to Sentebale's beneficiaries, they said.
Trustees on the board had already left the UK-registered organisation and requested Chandauka's resignation.
It is not clear exactly what is behind the rift, but Chandauka said she was being targeted after raising serious concerns about the charity including accusations of harassment, misogyny and racism.
Sentebale said in a statement to AFP that it had not received the resignations but confirmed a recalibration of the board.
Last year, the charity said it was seeking to become a locally led organisation and was evolving to focus on youth health, wealth and climate resilience in southern Africa.
In December it announced the departure of its London-based CEO and the appointment of a new interim executive director in Johannesburg, in a first move to place the most critical senior roles in close proximity to its programmes in Southern Africa.
- 'Devastating' -
In their statement, Harry and Seeiso said: With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organisation until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same.
It is devastating that the relationship between the charity's trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation.
Chandauka alleged she had faced a backlash after trying to air concerns about the charity's governance.
The Zimbabwe-born lawyer said this was 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 coverup that ensued.
For me, this is not a vanity project from which I can resign when I am called to account, she said.
Chandauka said she had reported trustees to the UK's Charity Commission regulator and taken her case to the High Court in London.
Harry and Seeiso said Chandauka had sued the charity to remain in her position after trustees asked her to step down, adding that they would also share their concerns with the Charity Commission.
The regulator told AFP it was aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale.
We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps, it said.
After Harry and his wife Meghan announced they were stepping down as working members of Britain's royal family in 2020, the prince was stripped of his royal and honorary military positions.
But his role at Sentebale was one of a small number of private patronages he held onto.
Following the split, Harry told a private dinner for the charity's supporters in January 2020: What I want to make clear is, we're not walking away, and we certainly aren't walking away from you.
Harry chose the name Sentebale as a tribute to Diana -- it means forget me not in the Sesotho language and is also used to say goodbye.
Meanwhile, his wife Meghan this week launched a new podcast Confessions of a Female Founder as she seeks to rebrand her image and focus on her new company As Ever.
Her new lifestyle Netflix series With Love, Meghan has also been renewed for a second series, despite being mostly panned by the critics.