Sophie Chandauka has thrown out a lot of wild accusations with very little specificity over the past week. The few moments we get something concrete, it’s always pretty bonkers. An example: Chandauka accusing Prince Harry (alone) of harassment and bullying because he resigned from Sentebale in protest of her. What’s also been interesting is how much of this Sentebale catastrophe has played out in the British media, but alliances have been split even within regular old Sussex-bashing royalist outlets. The Times and the Telegraph have gotten strategic leaks from Chandauka, but they’ve also both run articles which have been highly critical of Chandauka too. Some of the critical pieces aren’t even necessarily pro-Sussex, and I think that’s because the Sentebale trustees who resigned in protest of Chandauka are massively pissed at the way she’s exploiting Prince Harry and Sentebale. So those former trustees are also spilling their guts to any reporter who will listen. Which probably explains this new piece in the Telegraph. Some highlights:
Chandauka is “playing the race card”: Chandauka has accused the board of bullying, harassment, misogyny, and misogynoir – a form of prejudice directed at black women – in an official complaint sent to the Charity Commission. But a source close to the trustees, who resigned en masse this month alongside the Duke of Sussex and his co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, claimed Ms Chandauka, a Zimbabwe-born lawyer, alleged racism when she realised things were not going her way. “She’s definitely playing the race card and openly,” the source said. “This is her plan. As soon as anyone turns against her, she brings the race card in and she comes for you.”
A poisonous woman: The source claimed Ms Chandauka accused the trustees of bullying when she was challenged over the loss of a major sponsor of the annual Sentebale polo cup following an apparent falling out. She is then said to have taken her concerns directly to Prince Harry. When the board urged Ms Chandauka to resign, she launched legal proceedings in the High Court, prompting mass resignations. “She’s a very poisonous woman and it’s very sad it’s come to this,” the source said. A source close to Ms Chandauka described the allegation as “horrific” and “extraordinarily ironic”.
The time a trustee likened Chandauka to a white colonizer: It is alleged that one of Sentebale’s white trustees likened Ms Chandauka’s chairmanship to the white minority rule of 1960s Rhodesia. The trustee, whom The Telegraph has chosen not to name, is alleged to have compared her leadership to UDI – the 1965 unilateral declaration of independence in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, when white minority leaders declared independence without the consent of the British government. “Using such language from an expressly colonial time is more than inflammatory,” a source told The Telegraph. “It’s black and white racism.”
How Chandauka got the chairmanship of Sentebale: Meanwhile, The Telegraph has been told Ms Chandauka was not included on the original shortlist of candidates for the chairman’s role but “barged her way in” after an acquaintance at the charity introduced her to the recruitment consultant responsible for filling the position. A source claimed that one of the trustees contacted her to “help” with the recruitment process as she had previously sat on the charity’s board. But she then complained that she had not been considered herself and implied she might take action if she was not put on the list. She was, after all, “a highly globally connected US-based black southern African senior executive woman with an exceptional corporate pedigree”, she allegedly told the consultant.
She threatened to sue if she didn’t get an interview: Having outlined her qualifications, Ms Chandauka is said to have suggested she might take action unless interviewed for the position. “I will reflect upon this and what to do about it,” she is said to have told the recruitment consultant in writing.’ It was basically a threat”, the source alleged. “She was put in touch with the agent and barged her way in”. The recruitment consultant then returned to the board and it was agreed Ms Chandauka should be included for interview, which in the interests of fairness was conducted by a panel who had not previously known her. “Of course, she’s going to be quite impressive to those who don’t know her on the board, because, you know, she has been in Sentebale before, and she interviews very, very well, comes across very, very well,” said the source. “She passed the interview with flying colours.”
The fact that “sources” are now talking about how Chandauka even came into the chairmanship is interesting to me. That was a constant refrain over the weekend, and I guess there were some suggestions that Prince William or the palace had some kind of longterm plan to install Chandauka or something. Instead, these sources reveal that Chandauka regularly “barged” her way into failing up the ladder. That’s how she speaks too – like someone who is used to throwing out wild, nonsensical accusations to get her way. As for “playing the race card” – I winced at that, because it’s such a stuffy white-person way of describing what Chandauka is doing. A more accurate description is that she exploited white guilt, specifically in the context of an African-based charity, and used woke buzzwords to hide her incompetence and dazzle a bunch of do-gooders who then patted themselves on the back for hiring a Zimbabwe-born Black woman. Now that we’re hearing more, I’m actually mad that Prince Harry, Prince Seeiso and the trustees weren’t more prepared for her bullsh-t.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Sky News screencaps.
