Prince Harry has been seen for the first time since the extraordinary row erupted between him and the chair of Sentebale – the charity he co-founded but dramatically quit as patron over a boardroom battle

Prince Harry has broken cover for the first time since he became embroiled in a bitter charity row, with a brand new message. The Duke of Sussex has been caught up in a bitter war of words with Sophie Chandauka, the chairwoman of African charity Sentebale, which Harry co-founded but dramatically quit as its patron last week amid a boardroom battle.

Ms Chandauka has alleged the duke tried to ‘eject’ her through ‘bullying’ and ‘harassment’. At the same time, a source close to former trustees and patrons of Sentebale dismissed her comments at the weekend as a “publicity stunt”, with a pal of Harry saying the spat has left him ‘heartbroken’.

Now, in his first appearance since the row erupted, Harry has appeared in a new video released to mark a new report from one of the other projects he founded – Travalyst, an eco-tourism not-for-profit organisation. Today, the organisation has published its five-year milestone report outlining its achievements and plans for the year ahead. As part of the report, Harry has filmed a personal message that appears to have been recorded at his Montecito home.

Wearing an open-necked shirt and jacket, Harry smiles as he tells the camera: “We are just five years away from the 2030 deadline for the sustainable development goals – the global blueprint for creating a more resilient planet and quite literally saving ourselves.

“But it is quite clear we are not progressing as quickly as needed and the economic impacts are only growing. These realities leave us with a choice, find practical solutions to climate change or accept the massive financial and human losses that it is causing. I think we all agree the latter isn’t the answer.”

Prince Harry with Dr Sophie Chandauka, left(Image: Getty Images for Sentebale)

Harry then talks about the advantages of travel and how Travalyst is “bringing sustainable solutions to the mainstream” by allowing travellers to make green choices. He also highlights the organisation’s achievements over the past five years but warns there is “still much more to be done to protect the people and places we all depend on.” It is not clear when the message was recorded.

The release of the Duke’s new video comes just hours after he was accused of sending an ‘unpleasant’ and ‘imperious’ message to his charity’s boss after she failed to publicly quash rumours of a rift with his wife. During the prize-giving ceremony at a Sentebale fundraising polo match in Miami last April, the Duchess of Sussex appeared to choreograph who stood next to Harry, and in an awkward moment, Ms Chandauka moved from beside the duke to Meghan’s side ducking under the trophy.

The Telegraph claimed a member of Harry’s team asked Ms Chandauka to issue a statement to quash any rumours about tensions with Meghan, but when she refused the duke reportedly contacted her directly. The newspaper alleged Harry demanded she “explain herself” and claimed sources said the note was “unpleasant” in tone and used “imperious” language.

Harry, Meghan and Dr Chandauka at a charity polo event last year (Image: PA)

The duke founded Sentebale in honour of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales in 2006 with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help young people and children in southern Africa, particularly those living with HIV and Aids. However several trustees have left the organisation in a dispute with Ms Chandauka, having requested her resignation.

A source close to the trustees and patrons described Ms Chandauka’s interviews as a “publicity stunt”, adding: “They remain firm in their resignation, for the good of the charity, and look forward to the adjudication of the truth.”

The row has reportedly left father-of-two Harry “beyond heartbroken and flabbergasted”. Alex Rayner, his old Etonian school friend who went to the North Pole with him in 2012, has been in contact with the royal over the weekend. He said: “The way he feels is as if he has had one of his fingers cut off.”

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he added: “H is very happy for me to speak for him about how he feels about this awful situation. He is just beyond heartbroken and flabbergasted that the charity he founded as a teenager has been taken hostage by the chair. It feels tantamount to a hostile takeover.

“He is so upset and hurt and wounded about the things that are being said about him. I think it’s too early to tell whether he will just walk away now or whether he might try and get it back. He set up Sentebale with a school friend when the death of his mum was a fresh memory. At the moment he is just in total shock about what is being said and the accusations being made.”