Prince Harry sued for libel

Prince Harry has been sued for libel by an African charity that he co-founded in his late mother’s memory.

Sentebale filed suit against the royal and his friend, Mark Dyer, the latter of whom was a trustee for the organisation, in London’s High Court.

In a report made public on 10 April, it was revealed that the organisation filed a defamation case against the Prince and Dyer, requesting the court’s “intervention, protection, and restitution,” after what they described as an “adverse media campaign.” They claim damages of “operational disruption and reputational harm to the charity, its leadership, and its strategic partners.”

In a statement, Sentebale said about the lawsuit, “The proceedings have been brought ​against Prince Harry and Mark Dyer, identified through evidence as the architects of that adverse media campaign, ​which has had significant viral impact and triggered an onslaught of cyber-bullying directed at the charity and its leadership.”

The Duke of Sussex’s spokesperson said of the filing, “It is extraordinary that charitable funds are now being used to pursue legal action against the very people who built and supported the organisation for nearly two decades, rather than being directed to the communities the charity was ​created to serve.”

Prince Harry and Dyer, “categorically reject these offensive and damaging claims.”

Harry resigned as patron of Sentebale in March 2025 after a high-profile dispute with the organisation’s chair of ⁠the board, Sophie Chandauka. Prince Seeiso also resigned as patron during the same time.

The chair reported Harry and the trustees of the charity to the charity regulator in the UK over what they claimed was bullying and harassment. A review by the Charity Commission found no proof of the accusations.

The Prince co-founded Sentebale alongside Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 as a way to remember their late mothers. Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a 1997 Paris car crash, while ‘Mamohato, the Queen Mother, died of heart failure in 2003. The charity helps youth with HIV and AIDS in both Lesotho and Botswana.