Can it really be the case that the terminally petulant Prince Harry has helped torpedo the charity set up in honour of his mother to help child Aids victims — because the boss of it refused to publicly defend Meghan? It’s unthinkable that this could be the case and yet it’s what Dr Sophie Chandauka, the charity’s boss is alleging. She says Harry — via his team — had asked her to issue “some sort of statement” in support of Meghan to quash rumours of tension between them.

She refused after which Dr Chandauka claims Harry sent her an “unpleasant and imperious note” demanding she “explain herself” after refusing to defend his wife. The charity has already confirmed the existence of this note. However a spokesman says: “We do not have consent to share the communication.”

A spokesman for Prince Harry refused to comment. Probably wise in the circumstances. But if the claims are true, it’s clear he’s chosen to mess with the wrong woman in Dr Chandauka, who has slated the Sussex brand as toxic and accused Harry of “harassment and bullying at scale”, a claim that is strongly denied.

We’ve all now seen the video of Megan appearing to force Dr Chandauka to move away from Harry during a photo op at a charity polo match in Miami. To do that she had to awkwardly duck under a trophy which was being presented after the match and which Netflix were filming. It all looked horribly embarrassing.

Dr Chandauka’s version of events was that Megan crashed the match with no notice, bringing her very famous friend Serena Williams. It caused chaos — and you can see why. Because it made the whole thing about the Sussex’s and not the charity match or Sentebale.

It was after this Harry is alleged to have asked Dr Chandauka to make a statement supporting the Duchess. She says she refused because: “We cannot be an extension of the Sussexes.”

That’s dead right. And why should she have to defend a woman if Meghan did indeed shove her out of a photo? Whatever the truth, the Sussexes have yet to learn that not everything is about them.

Sentebale is about raising money for children orphaned by AIDS. It’s not about promoting the Sussex brand and it’s especially not about promoting Harry and Meghan’s Netflix enterprises for which they’re paid a fortune.

I fear Harry might have bitten off more than he can chew with Dr Chandauka. A friend of his says he’s upset and flabbergasted that the charity he founded as a teenager has been taken hostage by the chair.

Or maybe what he’s feeling is fear — because for the first time in his life he’s being properly challenged by a woman who isn’t afraid of him. Sophie Chandauka is whip smart and is refusing to take the blame for the charity’s declining funds because she believes the toxicity of the Sussex brand is responsible for that.

And she could be right. Harry used to be THE most popular royal before Meghan. Not anymore. Not since he publicly trashed his family, branded them racists, upset the Queen and spilled damaging family secrets.

Harry’s never butted horns with a woman like Chandauka before who’s not afraid to shout it from the rooftops that’s she’s being forced out of the charity for whistle-blowing about the abuse of power, the bullying, the harassment and the misogyny.

In a TV interview she said: “What Prince Harry wanted was to eject me from the organisation and this went on for months through bullying and harassment.”

And then came the ominous words that I suspect will terrify Harry: “And I have documentation.”

Maybe that’s why Harry isn’t wading in this time. Instead he’s rolled out an Old Etonian chum, Alex Raynor, to say how heartbroken he is. “The way he feels it’s as if he’s had one of his fingers cut off,” says Alex.

Which is a weird thing to say. But if Harry feels so terrible why isn’t he saying so? Why isn’t he refuting Dr Chandauka’s claims? He usually doesn’t hesitate when he feels he’s being wrongly attacked or accused.

But this time he got an old mate to speak on his behalf. And one has to wonder why. He’s a 40-year-old father of two for God’s sake. Why does he need a mate to take up the cudgel for him when the reputation of the charity he set up in his mother’s honour is at stake?

Why shove the job of defending it and himself onto an old school pal who can’t be properly questioned or challenged? But think about this: since the day he met Meghan, Harry has taken it upon himself to ride — white knight style — into situations to defend her whether she needed it or not.

He defended her publicly when he believed she was being subjected to racism here in Britain. He publicly condemned his own family as racists because of a conversation that took place about what colour the baby’s skin might be (a perfectly normal conversation for most people in their situation).

It was also alleged he had spats within the Palace both with family and staff when he felt Meghan wasn’t being treated the way he thought she should be.

He also lost Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge who, until Meghan, had been like a Big Sister to him. Meghan said Kate had been cruel to her and so BOOM she was gone — thrown onto the heap of discarded people who’d upset his wife.

He’s also lost friends because of it. He no longer lives in his birth country because of it and he has no role in the Royal Family because of it.

The fact is Harry sacrificed everything — his life here and his royal role — to make Meghan happy because he believed his family, together with the British people, had been unfair to her.

In fact, when you think about it, everything Harry has lost or has given up all boils down to defending Megan. And here we are again… Harry allegedly insisting that his wife be defended by the boss of the Sentebale charity.

Only this time, maybe for the first time, he was met with fierce resistance and a woman who won’t be manipulated. But you have to wonder if Harry actually knows his wife at all.

He seems to think she’s some weak little woman who needs rescuing. Doesn’t he see that she’s clever and extremely capable and she doesn’t need anyone else fighting her battles?

That said maybe she thinks it’s better that her husband goes public and causes a stink rather than her. Because then HE takes the flak for it — not her.

Whatever happens here it’s not looking good for Harry. But the real tragedy is that the charity set up to honour his mother’s incredible work with AIDS victims could bite the dust because of fights between the people running it.

Princess Diana’s support of AIDS victims changed the way the world saw them. Everyone involved in this ugly row needs to remember that!