The Duke of Sussex has said he hopes a probe into the charity he founded will “unveil the truth” that led him and others to resign.
The Charity Commission has opened an investigation into the bitter dispute that led to Prince Harry and several others to quit the Sentebale charity last week amid a boardroom battle.
The charities regulator said it has opened a case into “concerns raised” about the charity.
The royal founded the organisation 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.
In a statement on Thursday Harry said: “From the inception of Sentebale nearly 20 years ago, Prince Seeiso and I have had a clear goal: to support the children and young people in Southern Africa in memory of our mothers.
“What has transpired over the last week has been heartbreaking to witness, especially when such blatant lies hurt those who have invested decades in this shared goal.”
Last week it emerged that several trustees had left the charity in a dispute with its chairwoman, Sophie Chandauka, having requested her resignation.
Harry and Prince Seeiso backed the departing trustees and announced they had resigned as patrons until further notice.
They said their resignations came "with heavy hearts", adding that it was "devastating that the relationship between the charity's trustees and the chair of the board broke down beyond repair, creating an untenable situation".
Ms Chandauka issued a statement in which she alleged there had been "poor governance, weak executive management, abuse of power, bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir".
She also appeared to criticise Harry for going to the press and for what she described as playing "the victim card".
The commission said it had informed the charity on Wednesday that it had "opened a regulatory compliance case to examine concerns raised about the charity".
This allows the watchdog to "gather evidence and assess the compliance of the charity and trustees past and present with their legal duties" and responsibilities under charity law.
It is not the same as a statutory inquiry.
The commission, which said the decision to open a case came after assessing initial concerns raised, said it is in "direct contact with parties who have raised concerns".
Regulatory compliance cases can lead to a range of outcomes including an official warning being given to a charity or a statutory inquiry being opened, which can give the commission additional powers of investigation.
