'All sides' to blame in Prince Harry charity row, watchdog finds

Prince Harry left the Sentebale charity that he had co-founded

But the commission did criticise "all parties" for allowing a "damaging" dispute to play out publicly - and gave the charity a regulatory action plan to deal with "governance weaknesses".

It has imposed no sanctions - and the current leadership, headed by Sophie Chandauka, will remain at the charity, which supports young people in southern Africa.

The Charity Commission has published its findings into whistleblower allegations that followed a bitter boardroom dispute that saw Prince Harry resign , along with several trustees, earlier this year.

There was no evidence of widespread bullying, harassment or misogyny at the Sentebale charity founded by Prince Harry, the charity regulator has found.

Harry quits charity he set up in Diana's honour over internal row

Although Prince Harry's team welcomed the finding that there had not been evidence of bullying, a spokesman said the report "falls troublingly short" in that the "consequences of the current chair's actions will not be borne by her".

"Sentebale's problems played out in the public eye, enabling a damaging dispute to harm the charity's reputation, risk overshadowing its many achievements, and jeopardising the charity's ability to deliver for the very beneficiaries it was created to serve," said Charity Commission chief executive David Holdsworth.

The row had seen Prince Harry accused of being a "toxic" brand by the charity's chair, Ms Chandauka - and he had stepped down, saying his and the trustees' relationship with her was broken "beyond repair" and that they had faced " blatant lies ".

Much of the criticism from the commission focused on how the internal dispute descended into such a public argument in the media, which it said had damaged the charity's reputation.

It's a bittersweet outcome for Prince Harry who has left the charity, which his spokesman said had been "deeply personal" to him.

Sophie Chandauka says the charity will continue and grow stronger

The current chair, Ms Chandauka, remains at the head of the charity, with the watchdog finding no reason for her not to continue.

A Sentebale spokesman said that the report confirmed that the new trustees had been validly appointed and could move forward "free from interference".

Ms Chandauka said the "adverse media campaign" from those who had resigned from the charity had caused "incalculable damage".

"We are emerging not just grateful to have survived, but stronger," she said.

The Charity Commission also said that although there was no evidence of widespread or systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir (discrimination against black women), it acknowledged a "strong perception of ill treatment felt by a number of parties" and said it wasn't its role as a regulator to adjudicate on individual claims of bullying.

The commission has not sanctioned any individuals, but its regulatory action plan is meant to address problems such as a lack of clarity over roles and a better mechanism for handling internal disputes.

It warned of "weaknesses in the charity's management" that had added to disagreements.

The report highlighted how tensions had risen around a new fundraising strategy in the United States, with some trustees believed to have raised concerns about the charity's finances.

The action plan warns of the importance of "sufficient funding to enable the charity to deliver for its beneficiaries".

The Charity Commission website is still showing Sentebale's financial position from August 2023 - but sources close to the charity say it is in good financial health.

The charity had been a very personal project for Prince Harry, which made his resignation even more difficult. Sentebale had been co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, with both honouring the legacies of their mothers.

"For 19 years, its dedicated staff and steadfast supporters have provided vital care to over 100,000 young people across southern Africa, including young people living with HIV/Aids and those facing mental health challenges," said a spokesman for Prince Harry.

Prince Harry's spokesman said the charity had grown to become a "flowering force for good" and that he will "now focus on finding new ways to continue supporting the children of Lesotho and Botswana".

Ms Chandauka said: "Despite the recent turbulence, we will always be inspired by the vision of our founders, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso."

The Charity Commission concluded that those running charities should not let disagreements make them forget their initial good intentions and should focus on those they were trying to help.

"Passion for a cause is the bedrock of volunteering and charity, delivering positive impact for millions of people here at home and abroad every day," said Mr Holdsworth.

"However, in the rare cases when things go wrong, it is often because that very passion has become a weakness rather than a strength.

"Moving forward I urge all parties not to lose sight of those who rely on the charity's services.

"The current trustees must now make improvements and ensure the charity focuses on delivering for those it exists to serve."

The much-anticipated rematch between British rivals Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn will take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November.

Eubank beat Benn by unanimous decision in a thrilling middleweight contest at the same venue in April.

Despite no title being on the line, the bout between the bitter foes - which took place 35 years after their fathers, Chris Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn, first fought - garnered huge attention.

And after Eubank was named the winner 116-112 on all three judges' scorecards, a rematch was wanted by fans and touted by promoters.

A second bout had been agreed for 20 September, however it fell through amid concerns Eubank would not be ready.

Now organisers Ring Magazine, which is owned by Turki Alalshikh, have announced , externalthe rematch will take place on 15 November.

Eddie Hearn, Benn's promoter and chairman of Matchroom Boxing, also shared the same date via Instagram, external.

Eubank and his camp have not yet commented on the announcement.

Trump's envoy Witkoff meets Putin as ceasefire deadline looms

Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin met at the Kremlin on Wednesday morning

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, has warned that Russia would only make serious moves towards peace if it began to run out of money. He welcomed the threat of tougher US sanctions and tariffs on nations buying Russian oil.

The US president has said Russia could face hefty sanctions or see secondary sanctions imposed against all those who trade with it if it doesn't take steps to end the "horrible war" with Ukraine.

Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Wednesday as Donald Trump's deadline for Russia to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine looms.

A meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russia's Vladimir Putin is under way at the Kremlin, Russian media has said.

Expectations are muted for a settlement by Friday, and Russia has continued its large-scale air attacks on Ukraine despite Trump's threats of sanctions.

Three rounds of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul have failed to bring the war closer to and end, three and a half years after Moscow launched its full-invasion.

Moscow's military and political preconditions for peace remain unacceptable to Kyiv and to its Western partners. The Kremlin has also repeatedly turned down Kyiv's requests for a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.

Meanwhile, the US administration approved $200m of additional military sales to Ukraine on Tuesday following a phone call between Zelensky and Trump, in which the two leaders also discussed defence cooperation and drone production.

Ukraine has been using drones to hit Russia's refineries and energy facilities, while Moscow has focused its air attacks on Ukraine's cities.

The Kyiv City Military Administration said the toll of an attack on the city last week rose to 32 after a man died of his injuries. The strike was the deadliest on Kyiv since the start of the invasion.

Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday reported that a Russian attack on a holiday camp in the central region of Zaporizhzhia left two dead and 12 wounded.

"There's no military sense in this attack. It's just cruelty to scare people," Zelensky said.

Russian attacks on Ukraine double since Trump inauguration

2 hours ago Share Save Matt Murphy & Ned Davies BBC Verify Share Save

Reuters

Russia has more than doubled the number of drones and missiles fired towards Ukraine since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, a BBC Verify analysis has found, despite his calls for a ceasefire. Attacks had already been rising under former President Joe Biden in 2024 but climbed sharply after Trump's election victory in November. Since he returned to office in January, recorded aerial attacks from Moscow have reached their highest levels of the war. Throughout his campaign Trump vowed to bring an end to fighting in just one day if returned to office. He claimed during his 2024 campaign that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine could have been averted had a president who the Kremlin "respected" held office. However, in his efforts to achieve a ceasefire he has been accused at times of favouring Russia by critics, and his administration has paused deliveries of air defence munitions and other military supplies to Ukraine on two separate occasions.

The pauses - announced in March and July and since reversed by the president - came as Russia steadily increased missile and drone production. According to Ukrainian military intelligence, ballistic missile construction in Russia grew by 66% over the past year. The data reviewed by BBC Verify - based on daily incident reports issued by the Ukrainian Air Force - showed that Russia launched 27,158 munitions between 20 January - when Trump's presidency began - and 19 July, compared with 11,614 over the final six months of Biden's term. "This brutal war was brought on by Joe Biden's incompetence, and it has gone on for far too long," White House deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement to BBC Verify. "President Trump wants to stop the killing, which is why he is selling American-made weapons to Nato members and threatening Putin with biting tariffs and sanctions if he does not agree to a ceasefire." In the opening weeks of the new administration, the White House issued a series of warm statements seemingly intended to entice President Vladimir Putin towards a settlement. During this period, Russian attacks on Ukraine briefly fell when compared with the final weeks of the Biden administration. But by February, when US diplomats led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's delegation for a summit in Riyadh, attacks had started to climb again. The talks, which Rubio said were a starting point to bring an end to the war, have been followed by mediated discussions between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Turkey. Attacks peaked early last month, when Moscow launched 748 drones and missiles towards Ukraine on 9 July, according to the Ukrainian Air Force data. More than a dozen people were reportedly injured by the barrage and two were killed.

While Trump has expressed anger at the escalating Russian attacks on several occasions, his mounting frustration does not appear to have had an impact on Moscow's strategy. On 25 May, Russia launched its then-largest recorded barrage, prompting Trump to angrily ask: "What the hell happened to him [Putin]?" Since then, Russia has exceeded that number of reported launches on 14 occasions. Trump has responded by demanding that the Kremlin reach a peace deal with Ukraine by 8 August. The number of Russian munitions penetrating Ukrainian air defences appears to be increasing, with explosions around the capital Kyiv becoming a daily part of life for residents of the city. "Every time you go to sleep, you don't know if you're going to wake up the next morning, and that's just not a normal way to live," Dasha Volk, a journalist living in the city, told the BBC's Ukrainecast programme in June. "Every time you hear an explosion or a missile flying over your head, lots of thoughts are going through my mind - I'm going to die now, things like that."

Ukraine 'vulnerable' to aerial attacks

Senator Chris Coons, a senior Democrat on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told BBC Verify that Trump's decision to suspend weapons supplies on two occasions and his broader approach to Russian relations may have convinced the Kremlin that it had the freedom to increase attacks. "It's clear Putin feels emboldened by Trump's weakness and has increased his vicious assault on the Ukrainian people, repeatedly attacking hospitals and maternity wards, the Ukrainian power grid, and other civilian sites," he said. The growing attacks have renewed calls for the US to send fresh supplies of Patriot anti-air batteries to Ukraine. The Patriots are the most capable and expensive air defence systems that Ukraine has. Each Patriot battery costs around $1bn (£800m), and each missile costs nearly $4m. Trump has overturned the previous supply pauses and agreed to sell weapons to Nato members, who will in turn supply them to Kyiv. Trump appeared to imply that the deal would include fresh supplies of Patriot batteries. Justin Bronk, an analyst focussing on the Russian military at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said restrictions on the supply of military equipment imposed by the White House had made Ukraine "vulnerable" to missile and drone attacks. But he also noted that Russia has ramped up the production of missiles and so-called 'kamikaze' drones such as the Geran-2 - a domestically produced version of the Iranian Shahed drone. Mr Bronk said that Russia's increased stockpiles, coupled with "significant reductions" in supply of US interceptor missiles had encouraged Moscow to escalate its air campaign.

EPA Russia is said to be producing huge numbers of Geran drones for use against Ukraine

Ukraine's Military Intelligence agency (HUR) recently told domestic media that Russia was now producing up to 85 ballistic missiles per month, up from 44 in April 2024. Russia is reportedly producing 170 Geran drones per day, having established a massive manufacturing facility at Alabuga in the south of the country. In a recent interview with Russian military TV, the facility's director Timur Shagivaleyev boasted that Alabuga had become "the largest combat drone production plant in the world", adding that his workers were producing nine times more units than initially expected. Satellite images show the facility has expanded significantly since mid-2024, with a number of new warehouses built on the site. Other structures, including what appear to be expansions to worker dormitories, remain under construction.

A minute of silence was held in Hiroshima on Wednesday during a ceremony to mark 80 years since the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city.

Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba attended the ceremony and urged all countries to work towards nuclear disarmament.

"We must make every effort to realise a world without nuclear war and ultimately a world without nuclear weapons", Ishiba told the audience at Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park.

Bombs dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed more than 200,000 people - some from the immediate blast and others from radiation sickness and burns.