Sentebale drops polo fundraisers after Harry’s departure amid internal shake-up
Prince Harry has received some difficult news about his beloved former charity, Sentebale, as the organisation takes a sharp turn away from one of his signature fundraising traditions.
The Duke of Sussex, who stepped down from Sentebale in March 2025 after a tense boardroom dispute, has long expressed his passion for polo — a sport closely tied to the royal family and one often associated with privilege and high society. For years, he hosted charity polo matches that helped raise significant funds for the cause he co-founded in 2006 with Prince Seeiso in memory of his late mother, Princess Diana.
Now, in a move seen as a clear shift from Harry’s influence, the African charity has decided to scrap its polo fundraising events entirely.
Iain Rawlinson, a member of Sentebale’s board of trustees, explained to The Telegraph that the decision came after recognising the strain these events placed on the organisation. “They put quite a lot of pressure on individuals and masked structural weaknesses in the financial model of the charity,” he said.
While acknowledging that the polo matches had attracted “great generosity from high-net-worth individuals,” Rawlinson emphasised that the charity’s leadership was not criticising the events themselves. Instead, he described the decision as part of a broader rebranding effort ahead of Sentebale’s 20th anniversary next year — one that follows internal investigations into harassment and misogyny claims.
Rawlinson also noted that Sentebale has faced financial challenges since 2017, despite Harry’s personal contributions. The charity is now focused on creating “a more resilient financial model, which is not dependent on a single patron.”
For Harry, who once called Sentebale one of his proudest legacies, the development is likely to feel personal — marking the end of an era tied to his years of hands-on involvement and royal patronage.
