Prince Harry's 'week from hell' - Diana charity 'heartbreak' to bullying claims and King cancer snub

In the end, couldn’t bite his tongue any longer. After a week in which he saw one of his proudest achievements end in acrimony, and his name and motivations smeared in an ugly row, the didn’t hold back.

Responding to the Charity Commission opening a regulatory compliance case against Sentebale, the children’s charity he founded in 2006, he said he hoped the inquiry would put the organisation ”in the right hands immediately" and “unveil the truth”. And with emotion and barely concealed rage, he added: "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.”

and his wife have had several particularly bad weeks since they moved to in June 2020 after sensationally quitting as working royals. From losing their Spotify deal and the flop of their polo documentary, to having to apologise for breaching confidentially rules in the High Court and losing his legal bid to have UK police protection in the UK, he’s had to deal with numerous difficult days in the last few years.

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But none have been more hurtful than the past week, because the attacks have never affected him more personally. The Sentebale charity was so close to his heart because he set it up in the memory of his late mother, Diana, . Even the name is hugely sentimental - it means ‘forget-me-not’ in Sesotho, both Diana’s favourite flower and his way of ensuring her legacy was always remembered.

For a Prince who is fiercely protective of his mother’s memory, as well of his wife, the past eight days must have been excruciating. And there may be more uncomfortable revelations to come. Royal expert and historian Tessa Dunlop tells the that the ongoing saga has proved so "enduring and upsetting" that it means Harry "can claim the dubious title as the only man capable of (briefly) knocking off the front pages."

Shock charity resignation

It started last Wednesday when the Duke of Sussex suddenly released a statement saying he had made the “devastating” decision to leave the charity because relationships within the organisation had “broken down beyond repair”. His commitment to the charity was clear on the day he launched it, nearly 20 years ago.

“You’ll be surprised. Come back to this place in 25 years, you’ll see a massive difference,” the young prince said, adding: "As far as I’m concerned, I’m committed for the rest of my life."

Several charity trustees also stepped down in what emerged as a dispute with the board’s chairwoman, Dr Sophie Chandauka, over a decision to focus fundraising in Africa. Just last October the duke visited Lesotho, where he talked to a group of young people around a campfire about the “massive difference” Sentebale was making. He was also pictured with Dr Chandauka at a charity polo event in Florida in April 2024 to benefit Sentebale.

But Dr Chandauka fired back her own statement, alleging there had been "poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir”- the latter word referring to a combination of racism and misogyny directed toward Black women. She also appeared to criticise Harry for going to the press and for what she described as playing "the victim card". As the dispute became increasingly undignified and public, a source close to the former Sentebale trustees and patrons dismissed Dr Chandauka's comments as a "publicity stunt".

King's relapse not relayed

As Harry reeled over his mother’s memory, on Friday, his father, was admitted to the hospital suffering side effects from his cancer treatment. But Harry, increasingly estranged from his family, reportedly found out about it in the press like the rest of the .

It comes after the prince was only given half an hour with his dad when he flew back to the UK in February last year after the monarch was diagnosed with cancer, and emphasises his increasing isolation from the rest of the royals. A second UK visit, last May, saw Harry look to promote his Invictus Games but he didn’t see his father or other family members at all.

'Lonelier than ever'

Reports emerged that the 40-year-old prince is “lonelier than ever” and rarely leaves his mansion in Montecito, California, while Meghan is busy with her solo Netflix show and the launch of her lifestyle brand, As Ever. Even his friendship with ally Princess Eugenie has reportedly "soured", ever since he allegedly cut her off after photos emerged of his cousin enjoying a night out with his so-called enemy .

A source told the Sun: "First he was a spare to William, now he's increasingly looking like a spare to Meghan - and it's not a great look. He misses his family terribly, but no one is speaking to him any more. He just wants to go for a beer with the guys, but his only friends are just the husbands of Meghan's friends.”

Blistering attack

But more was to come as Dr Chandauka, who became chair of Sentabale in 2023, hit back in TV and newspaper interviews of the weekend with more personal slurs against the prince. She told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips on Sunday that the Sussex band had become “toxic” and was actually causing the organisation to lose donations, and claimed Harry had tried to eject her from the charity “through bullying, harassment. I have documentation”.

And in another stinging criticism, she accused the prince of putting his Netflix show ahead of fundraising, telling how a polo fundraiser last year had to be cancelled when Harry insisted on bringing a Netflix film crew with him. “Nobody signed up to being on a Netflix show,” she said, explaining that the owners of the site wanted to charge more. “We couldn’t afford it so we lost the venue.”

When the event was reorganised, Meghan turned up unannounced, bringing along with her a friend, tennis star Serena Williams, “which caused a lot of disruption.” There was also an awkward exchange on stage when Dr Chandauka said Meghan rudely asked her twice not to stand next to Harry as she presented the trophy.

Lawyer Dr Chandauka said: “The international Press captured this, and there was a lot of talk about the Duchess and the choreography on stage and whether she should have been there and her treatment of me.” She claimed Harry later demanded that she release a statement “in support of the Duchess”, but she refused, saying: “We’re not setting a precedent by which we become an extension of the Sussex PR machine.”

The allegations are even more damaging because the Sussexes already have a reputation for being hard to work with. A stinging article in the Hollywood Reporter claimed Meghan “doesn’t take advice” and has reduced “grown men to tears” as she “barks” orders. And Spotify executive Bill Simmons labelled the couple “f***ing grifters” after their $20m, multi-year deal to make podcasts with the streaming platform came to an end after they made just 12 episodes.

'Unpleasant' text

Harry’s week from hell got worse on Tuesday when details were revealed of a text message Harry sent to the Sentebale chair. Sources speaking with the Daily Mail described the message, demanding to know how she was going to deal with the public debacle involving Meghan, as “basically very unpleasant’, “imperious” and "fairly extraordinary’” in tone.

They added that the message “would reinforce other people's ideas that he is used to people being subservient to him”. A source close to the charity chairwoman branded the allegation as “extraordinarily ironic” given that Harry and Meghan have themselves previously accused the of 'unconscious bias' when it comes to race. Moreover, in their 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview, the Duchess said an unnamed royal had expressed 'concern' about Archie's skin colour.

To be accused of racism and misogyny will be particularly painful for the duke, alongside his angst at having to let go of the charity which was supposed to continue his mother’s good work. Tessa Dunlop, who co-hosts the Global podcast Where Politics Meets History with Iain Dale, says that the most damaging part of the "unseemly scrap" is that "Harry's complaints of 'abuse and harassment' have been weaponised against him and the organisation he holds dear."

Another source with detailed knowledge of the charity claims Dr Chandauka has herself been accused of bullying staff and manipulating the minutes of board meetings. The source said one report being looked at by the Charity Commission will include concerns regarding Chandauka's governance as well as her "manipulation of minutes to endorse her false claims of bullying and misogyny", reports .

'Different worlds'

The timing of the charity crisis couldn't be more unfortunate for Harry, as he occupies a very different online stratosphere from his blissful wife, who this week sold out of her products within minutes of her As Ever launch. Tessa adds: "While the duchess pedals a ‘perfect’ world, Harry is making a fist of failing hard – ‘imperfect’ is to understate his current predicament."

"If Meghan’s flower-sprinkle biscuits and beige ensembles are insufficient succour for Montecito’s lonely prince, he is unlikely to find reassurance among his erstwhile family back in Britain. A reset is what is needed."

Indeed, Harry’s “week from hell”, as Tessa puts it, could have even more damaging repercussions - to his public image, particularly in his new home of America - which may be too difficult to repair. As Perez Hilton wrote this week, “This might really come back to haunt Prince Harry…the Duke of Sussex has been embroiled in some messy drama this week, and for once it has nothing to do with the rest of his family. Nope, this is all on him!”