Royal Family LIVE: Prince Harry ‘heartbroken’ as bombshell charity claims leave him embroiled in race row

Princess Beatrice has revealed she cried ‘tears of relief’ after her daughter Athena Rose Elizabeth was born premature in an update about her ‘humbling’ second pregnancy.

The King’s niece, 36, and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, welcomed the newest addition to their family in January, but the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson candidly spoke about how things didn’t go according to plan.

The royal said: ‘What I learnt in this process has been humbling: understanding so much more about our remarkable human bodies, but also, more than anything, what we don’t know.’

She added that she endured sleepless nights just before giving birth and was so shocked by how little her newborn was she couldn’t believe it.

‘She was so tiny it took more than a few weeks for the tears of relief to dry and for life with our healthy baby to feel real.’

Princess Beatrice gave birth to her daughter Athena Rose Elizabeth in January

Princess Beatrice pictured with her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

Gwyneth Paltrow and Meghan Markle have joined forces in an attempt to shut down rumours of a feud between them after the actress and wellness guru seemingly took a swipe at the former royal by mimicking one of her cooking videos.

The Oscar-winner has now addressed the rumours of a rift during an Instagram Q&A after one of her 8.7million followers asked if she was ‘comprehending the Meghan Markle beef that social media says you two have?’

Paltrow, filming in the kitchen of her sprawling home in the Montecito, replied: ‘I genuinely do not understand this at all, whatsoever.’

She then turned her head to ask someone off screen: ‘Do you understand this?’, only to reveal the Duchess of Sussex sat at a table, giggling and eating a piece of pie.

Mark Dyer, Prince Harry’s close friend and ‘second father’ has also departed from the charity at the centre of a racism and sexism scandal.

The former Welsh Guards officer, affectionately known as Marko, has been by Harry’s side since he was 1, supporting him through the heartbreaking loss of Princess Diana and through his time at Eton and Sandhurt.

It was also Marko who, in the 1990s, had been an equerry to Prince Charles, and helped co-ordinate Harry’s gap year, travelling with himto Australia, Argentina – and, Lesotho.

In his memoir, Spare, Harry wrote: ‘Of all Pa’s people there was consensus that Marko was the best. The roughest, the toughest, the most dashing.’

The prince was even an usher at his 2012 wedding and in turn, the former soldier was made godfather to Prince Archie.

But now, their professional ties have been cut after Mark stepped down form his role in Sentebale.

Prince Harry and Mark Dyer at the Sentebale Concert at Kensington Palace in London June, 2016

Prince William (left), Prince Harry (centre) and Mark Dyer at Wattisham Airfield In Suffolk

Harry with Mark Dyer at his passing-out Sovereign’s Parade at Sandhurst Military Academy in April, 2006

The Duke of Sussex with Mark at the Cartier Inernational Polo match, Windsor, 2004

Just one year short of celebrating it’s 20th anniversary, Prince harry has stepped down form his involvement in the Lesotho-based charity.

But it seem’s the roya;’s interest int eh charitable cause may have been waning before the row between the board of trustees broke out.

the Duke of Sussex last visited Lesotho in October 2024, his first trip to the land-locked country in six years.

Despite continuing to play int he annual fundraising polo match (the 2024 game took place in Florida), Harry has never taken Meghan along to visit the country that captured his heart all those years ago.

Harry’s committmentwas also called in to question by Dr Sophie Chandauka who people who treated Sentebale as a ‘vanity project’.

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Sentebale’s plight was Prince harry’s way to prove he was no longer the party-boy prince but a serious 21-year-old who had been moved by his mother’s charity work to follow in her footsteps.

But 20 years on, Rebecca English reveals how the signs of something wrong were there the whole time.

Prince Harry issued a joint statement last night, which has been seen by The Times but not officially released.

He wrote that he was shocked by the row and emphasisied that the main focus should be on the children the charity has always focused on helping.

‘What’s transpired is unthinkable. We are in shock that we have to do this.’

‘Nearly 20 years ago, we founded Sentebale in honour of our mothers. Sentebale means ‘forget-me-not’ in Sesotho, the local language of Lesotho, and it’s what we’ve always promised for the young people we’ve served through this charity.’

‘Today is no different. With heavy hearts, we have resigned from our roles as patrons of the organisation until further notice, in support of and solidarity with the board of trustees who have had to do the same.

‘It is devastating that the relationship between the charity’s trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation.’

‘We thank all the trustees for their service over the years and are truly heartbroken they’ve had to follow through with this act,’ the statement added.

Last year Sophie Chandauka, a Zimbabwe-born lawyer (pictured), was appointed to be chair of the trustees despite opposition from the rest of the board.

A row erupted following a decision to move Sentebale’s fundraising operation to Africa but now, Dr Chandauka alleged there was a ‘cover up’ going on at the charity.

She has criticised ‘weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, and misogynoir [discrimination against black women]’.

She also took a swipe at the Prince and Meghan, writing in her statement that her work with the charity is not a ‘vanity project’ and hit out at those who ‘play the victim card and use the very press they disdain’.

Prince Harry sided with the trustees in a statement, saying they ‘acted in the best interests’ of the charity.

Pictured: Dr Sophie Chandauka

Sentebale was founded in 2006 by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to support children battling HIV and Aids and care for orphans.

The meaning of the charity’s name is ‘forget-me-not’ in Sesotho which was chosen in memory of both of their mothers.

Since starting almost 20 years ago Harry’s annual polo cup tounrament fundraiser has raised more than £11million.

Pictured: Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso in October, 2024

Prince Harry has found himself at the centre of a boardroom row that has seen the chair of the board of trustees claim she has been the victim of racism and misogyny.

The Duke of Sussex has now stepped down from Sentebale in solidarity with his co-founder and the entire board of trustees

Sentebale, which the royal co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 to benefit African orphans, dedicates itself to tackling poverty and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana.

Good morning and welcome to MailOnline’s live royal coverage.

Throughout the day we will bring you updates from the Royal Family with the latest on King Charles, Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex along with many more.

Last night Prince Harry sensationally stepped down from his Sentebale charity which he founded in honour of his late mother after a boardroom battle led to claims of misogyny and harassment.

meanwhile Meghan has also been battling controversy after Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow seemingly hit out at the Duchess’s cooking skills

The pair now seem to have put their ‘breakfast war’ to bed with a shock joint appearance.

The duo’s surprising appearance comes after Meghan released the first teaser for her new podcast Confessions of a Female Founder and her new ‘ShopMy page’, an online shop selling fashion items she has personally endorsed as part of her lifestyle brand As Ever.

Stick with us as we bring you the latest royal news and gossip.