Prince Harry ‘Devastated’ as He Quits African Charity He Founded in Princess Diana’s Honor: ‘What’s Transpired Is Unthinkable'

• Prince Harry and his friend Prince Seeiso of Lesotho have resigned as patrons of their beloved charity Sentebale
• "What’s transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock that we have to do this," the Duke of Sussex and Prince Seeiso said in a joint statement
• The princes added that "the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the chair of the board" had "broke down beyond repair"

Prince Harry shared that he's made the “devastating” decision to resign from his beloved African charity following reported infighting within the organization.

The Duke of Sussex, 40, set up Sentebale alongside his friend Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 in memory of both of their late mothers. The charity focuses on lifting up young people caught in the HIV/AIDS crisis in Lesotho and further afield in southern Africa.

But now, both have stepped down amid claims about the charity’s governance. The Charity Commission, based in the U.K., is investigating.

Their departures stem from a breakdown in relations between chairwoman Dr. Sophie Chandauka, who was appointed to the role last year, and the board of trustees. The trustees — who include Harry’s close friend Mark Dyer, who introduced him to Prince Seeiso and the country of Lesotho — also stepped down.

In a joint statement, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso said, "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, so we will be sharing all of our concerns with the Charity Commission as to how this came about."

"Nearly 20 years ago, we founded Sentebale in honor of our mothers. Sentebale means ‘forget-me-not’ in Sesotho, the local language of Lesotho, and it’s what we’ve always promised for the young people we've served through this charity. Today is no different," they continued.

"With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organization until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same," they continued. "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."

Dr. Chandauka is suing trustees after they questioned whether she was best placed to chair the board.

The princes' statement continued, “These trustees acted in the best interest of the charity in asking the chair to step down while keeping the well-being of staff in mind. In turn, she sued the charity to remain in this voluntary position, further underscoring the broken relationship."

They went on to thank the trustees for their “service over the years” and added they're “truly heartbroken they’ve had to follow through with this act.”

“Although we may no longer be patrons, we will always be its founders, and we will never forget what this charity is capable of achieving when it is in the right care," they concluded.

Prince Harry set up Sentebale two years after visiting Lesotho during his gap year after school and before joining the army. He saw it partly as continuing the legacy of his late mother, Princess Diana, who campaigned to help those with AIDS.

A spokesperson for the Charity Commission, which registers and regulates charities in England and Wales so the public can support charities with confidence, told PEOPLE in a statement, “We can confirm that we are aware of concerns about the governance of Sentebale. We are assessing the issues to determine the appropriate regulatory steps.”

Dr. Chandauka said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that she had been “guided by the principles of fairness and equitable treatment for all, regardless of social status or financial means."

“There are people in this world who behave as though they are above the law and mistreat people, and then play the victim card and use the very press they disdain to harm people who have the courage to challenge their conduct," the statement continued.

Dr. Chandauka added that this 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 coverup that ensued.”

She also went on to say that her work with the charity was "not a vanity project from which I can resign when I am called to account."

"I will continue to faithfully perform my role as Chair of the Board, and I look forward to the opportunity to work with others who are interested in issues of health, wealth and climate resilience for young people in Africa," Dr. Chandauka added.

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Sentebale said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that the charity "has not received resignations from the Royal Patrons." They added, “We are pleased to confirm the restructuring of our board on 25 March 2025 to introduce experts with the capabilities and networks to accelerate Sentebale’s transformation agenda as announced last year.”

The Duke of Sussex regularly visits Lesotho and was last there in October 2024. He has also taken part in annual polo matches around the world to raise money for Sentebale. It's thought this has brought in around $10 million over the last 10 years.

PEOPLE has reached out to a spokesperson for Prince Harry for comment.