A royal expert has described how Prince Harry's resignation as patron of Sentetable has left him with a "crushing blow". Speaking on Palace Confidential, the Daily Mail's Royal Editor, Rebecca English, said: "It's important to emphasise how crushing a blow this will be for him [Prince Harry] because it was such a big passion project for him, set up in memory of his late mother - Senteable means 'forget-me-not' in the local dialect."

The Duke, his co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho and fellow trustees resigned from Sentebale on Monday amid a row with chairwoman, Dr Sophie Chandauka. The two princes described their decision to step back as "devastating" but said that as a result of Chandauka’s "untenable" leadership, they had been forced to consider the "unthinkable".

The Duke of Sussex stepped down from the charity that he founded in 2006. The charity was established to help young people and children in southern Africa, particularly those living with HIV and Aids.

Harry stepped down with his co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, and the board of trustees because its relationship with chairwoman Dr Sophie Chandauka "broke down beyond repair" after she was asked to resign and took legal action.

Dr Chandauka said she reported the trustees to the UK Charity Commission and had "blown the whistle" about issues alleging abuse of power, bullying, sexism and racism. Dr Chandauka, a corporate finance lawyer, had previously served on Sentebale's board between 2009 and 2015 before becoming chairwoman, according to the charity's website.

The Charity Commission said it was "aware of concerns about the governance" of Sentebale and is looking into them.

Chandauka retaliated by saying she had filed a lawsuit against the organisation in the High Court. Presenting herself as a "whistleblower". She also appeared to suggest that Sentebale was a "vanity project" for Harry, Seeiso and trustees. She also said the High Court had accepted her application to hear her case.

Describing the accusations presented by Sophie Chandauka, the royal expert added: "That is going to be humiliating for him [Prince Harry] at a time where he quite clearly does not want to be involved in Meghan's merchandising, he wants to be setting himself as a global philanthropist, and that's not a good look for him."

Meanwhile, royal biographer, Ingrid Seward, also told the Mirror that Harry, who spent two months in Lesotho during his gap year, will be devastated by the situation. She said: "It is particularly crushing for him as it was done in her memory. He will be a sad and angry man today."

The charity holds significance for Harry as it was established in memory of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. The biographer believes this won't mark the end of Harry's charitable efforts in Africa: "Diana's memory is too precious for Harry to ever give up."