An awkward video of Meghan Markle directing the chair of Prince Harry's former charity, Sentebale, during a high-profile polo event has resurfaced online, intensifying scrutiny surrounding the Duke of Sussex's recent resignation and accusations of bullying.
The footage, which was taken at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge in Wellington, Florida, in August 2024, shows Meghan, 43, orchestrating a trophy photo alongside Prince Harry and Dr. Sophie Chandauka, chair of Sentebale. The video captures a brief but tense interaction where Meghan repeatedly tells Chandauka, "You want to come over here?" while motioning for her to stand beside her rather than next to Harry. Chandauka is seen awkwardly ducking under the large trophy to comply. Meghan then adds, "Lovely."
The resurfaced clip has drawn renewed attention amid Chandauka's recent allegations that Prince Harry engaged in "harassment and bullying at scale" against her and others at the charity. The claims emerged shortly after Harry, 40, and his Sentebale co-founder, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, resigned from the charity they launched nearly two decades ago in honor of their late mothers, Princess Diana and 'Mamohato Bereng Seeiso.
In an interview with Sky News, Chandauka said the charity was not informed that Meghan would attend the polo fundraiser until the last minute, which led to logistical challenges and confusion onstage. "We would have been really excited had we known ahead of time [Meghan was coming], but we didn't," Chandauka stated. "The choreography went badly on stage because we had too many people... there was a lot of talk about the Duchess and the choreography and her treatment of me."
She claimed that Harry later asked her to publicly support Meghan in the wake of media backlash over the video. "Prince Harry asked me to issue some sort of a statement in support of the duchess and I said I wouldn't," Chandauka said. "Not because I didn't care about the duchess, but because I knew what would happen if I did." She said her refusal to release a statement made her a target of what she called "the Sussex machine."
"The only reason I'm here, Trevor, is because at some point on Tuesday Prince Harry authorized the release of a damaging piece of news to the outside world without informing me or my country directors or my executive director," she told Sky News. "And can you imagine what that attack has done for me, on me, and the 540 individuals in the Sentebale organizations and their family. That is an example of harassment and bullying at scale."
Chandauka, who remains the chair of Sentebale, claimed Harry's actions amounted to a coordinated media attack on her and the charity's staff. "If the world didn't want to believe that there's such a thing as bullying, this unleashing of the Sussex machine... know this is the truth," She said.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail that Meghan's surprise appearance "caused confusion" and described the moment with Chandauka as "awkward." He added, "She refused to issue a statement in support of Meghan. There had been an awkward incident between them. The ferocious feud that has split Sentebale will be a bitter blow to [Harry]."
A source close to former trustees of Sentebale rejected Chandauka's version of events as "completely baseless," while the U.K.'s Charity Commission confirmed it is reviewing concerns raised about the charity's governance.
