Sentebale was founded by Harry in 2006 to help young people with HIV ‌and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana, but he resigned as a patron in March 2025 after a public falling-out with the chair of the board, Sophie Chandauka.

According to a record made public on Friday, Sentebale lodged a defamation claim last month at the High Court against Harry and Mark Dyer, who was ‌also a trustee of the charity.

No documents are currently available in the claim, which was originally filed on 24 March.

Sentebale said it launched a defamation claim following what it called a "co-ordinated adverse media campaign" which had damaged its reputation.

In a statement, its board of trustees and executive director said: "The charity seeks the court's intervention, protection and restitution following a co-ordinated adverse media campaign conducted since March 25 2025 that has caused operational disruption and reputational harm to the charity, its leadership and its strategic partners.

"The proceedings have been brought against Prince Harry and Mark Dyer, identified through evidence as the architects of that adverse media campaign, which has had significant viral impact and triggered an onslaught of cyber-bullying directed at the charity and its leadership.

"Sentebale has experienced the adverse media campaign as false narratives circulated through the media about the charity and its leadership, attempts to undermine its relationships with staff, existing and prospective partners, and the forced diversion of leadership time and resources into managing a reputational crisis not of the charity's making."

Harry co-founded the charity, alongside Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, which was aimed at enhancing the lives of vulnerable children in the southern African country.

The pair both stepped down last year in a dispute with chairperson Dr Chandauka.

The initial rift emerged in 2023 after trustees began plans for a new fundraising strategy in the US.

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The "serious dispute" was exacerbated by strategic and financial difficulties for the charity following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report from The Charity Commission (CC).

The CC criticised both sides for allowing the dispute to be played out in public.

Commission CEO David Holdsworth said they enabled the rift to "harm the charity's reputation", which in turn jeopardised its "ability to deliver for the very beneficiaries it was created to serve".

Sky News has approached a spokesperson for Prince Harry for comment.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton said the updated iteration of what was called the Government War Book would require people to think differently about resilience, drawing on lessons from the Cold War but "in a modern context, with a modern society, with modern infrastructure".

In an interview on Friday at the London Defence Conference, he also revealed that a threat by the UK to seize ships that are part of Russia's murky "shadow fleet" is already having an effect, even though British forces have yet to board any vessels.

The chief of the defence staff said the mere knowledge that London was ready to target a sanctioned tanker was forcing Moscow to escort them or divert them away from UK waters.

However, shadow fleet ships have still been spotted off the coastline without being stopped.

Asked whether an actual boarding operation was imminent, Air Chief Marshal Knighton said: "Be in no doubt. We are ready."

Perhaps the biggest challenge for the military chief is a push to put the Royal Navy, army and Royal Air Force back on a war footing after decades of underfunding under previous Conservative and Labour governments since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Sir Keir Starmer and John Healey, his defence secretary, have promised to lift defence spending to 3.5% of GDP from just over 2% - but not until 2035.

They are also yet to release a crucial 10-year investment plan for the armed forces - which sets out what weapons and capabilities the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will procure.

The Defence Investment Plan should have been published last autumn - but Mr Healey, in a separate Sky News interview, would not even say whether it would be out by this summer.

The delay means much of the UK's defence industry is in limbo, awaiting the promise of new cash to become a reality.

Air Chief Marshal Knighton signalled that the hold up was because the MoD was holding out for more money to be made available from the Treasury faster.

"What I want is a defence investment plan that is properly funded and delivers what we want," he said.

"If that takes a bit longer, I'd rather have something that works and we can deliver."

A key revelation in his comments was about the plan, led by the Cabinet Office and involving all other government departments, to produce a new version of the old war book.

Conceived during the First World War, the government's previous collection of top secret, regularly rehearsed and updated war books made the UK one of the best prepared nations in the world for conflict - and one of the most resilient.

A 1976 copy - a large bundle of hand-typed pages, bound together by string - contained detailed lists and signposted the way to complementary plans about how to mobilise not just the military but also civilians and industry in a crisis, as well as shutting schools, clearing hospitals, rationing food, and even storing national treasures.

That all changed after the Cold War ended and by the early 2000s, the entire UK war book system, which cost a lot to maintain, was quietly shelved.

Asked whether Britain was reviving the old government war book, Air Chief Marshal Knighton said: "I think that's right."

He set out what that would look like.

"NATO describes the transition to conflict as a military component, but it also has a civilian component," the defence chief said.

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This includes ensuring critical national infrastructure, such as power stations and water supply, are resilient not just to natural disasters such as floods but also to the threat of war.

"I talked before Christmas of the need that when we think about renewing our water infrastructure or electricity or transport infrastructure, to think about the threat of action from an adversary that is above the threshold of war, not just a hybrid threat," he said.

"And think about how we build in that resilience as we renew it and that requires making some different choices and different priorities and that work that the Cabinet Office is doing across the whole of government is something that I really welcome."

He said civilians need to be aware that the relative peace the UK has enjoyed over the past 30 years is under increasing threat.

"That requires us to educate ourselves and help the population understand some of those threats and help them understand what they can do to support the nation and potentially support the armed forces."

Kimberly Milne, 28, died after being struck by multiple vehicles on the A90 in Dundee in July 2023.

Husband Lee Milne, 40, denied any wrongdoing but was found guilty of culpable homicide and domestic abuse following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow last month.

The case was the first prosecution of its kind in Scotland in which an offender was held criminally responsible for the suicide of their partner.

Milne - a convicted child sex offender - was handed an extended sentence at the same court on Friday, with eight years in jail and three years on licence once released back into the community.

Lee Milne sentencing: The court case as it happened

Lady Drummond noted that Milne abused his wife from January 2022 until her death on 27 July 2023.

The judge stated: "Over those 18 months, you repeatedly abused Kimberly Milne.

"Some of that abuse involved physical violence, including seizing her by the neck, restricting her breathing, repeatedly punching her on the head and body, striking her so that she fell and lost consciousness, and repeatedly choking her.

"The abuse was not only physical. You belittled her by shouting and swearing at her, calling her names, you tried to cut her off from her family, checked her phone, restricted her movements, and controlled her access to money and transport."

The judge said domestic abuse is "rarely about one incident".

She added: "It is not only about violent acts. It includes more subtle, but nonetheless as harmful, exertions of power and control in a relationship.

"It builds over time. Each act - whether physical, psychological, or financial - adds to the next, increasing pressure and fear, eroding confidence and independence.

"It is the cumulative effect of the varied types of abuse that makes domestic abuse so harmful and damaging."

Jurors heard how after one assault, Ms Milne slept with a knife under her pillow as she was "so frightened of him".

As part of his domestic abuse, Milne would repeatedly threaten to take his own life if the relationship ended.

In one text message shown to the jury, Ms Milne wrote to her sister: "How can I leave him if he's saying he's gonna do himself in without me."

Her sister replied: "I would just leave him, he doesn't care if that's what he's doing to be honest, Kim."

On the night she died, Milne took her on a terrifying high-speed car ride which put her in a significant state of distress, fear and alarm.

The court was shown CCTV footage of Milne driving towards her after she was able to escape the vehicle.

Later, in a bid to flee from her abuser, she climbed the barrier of an overpass on the A90 Kingsway West and jumped off.

Lady Drummond said the couple had split by that fateful night, but Milne knew his estranged wife was "in distress and having difficulties that day".

The judge stated: "Your response to her that day - driving erratically and at speed whilst she was in the car with you, shouting at her and throwing an item at her, acting aggressively and intimidating her - was further abuse carried out by you at a time when she was in a fragile state.

"Following your actions, Kimberly Milne reached a point of despair, such that she climbed over the barrier of a road bridge and fell to her death.

"By the jury's verdict, you must bear responsibility not only for all of your abusive acts but for causing her death."

While this is the first prosecution of its kind in Scotland, back in 2017, Nicholas Allen was jailed for 10 years in England after being convicted of the manslaughter of his ex-girlfriend, Justene Reece, who took her own life due to his controlling and coercive behaviour.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said Ms Milne suffered from health issues which left her vulnerable to her abuser's manipulation.

Prosecutor Laura Buchan, COPFS legal director, said: "This prosecution sought to answer a complex question - can a partner be held criminally responsible for the death of a victim who has taken their own life following a course of domestic abuse?"

Ms Buchan said the evidence showed Milne's physical and psychological abuse was a "significant contributing factor" in his wife's death.

She added: "He deliberately and ruthlessly exploited Kimberly's vulnerabilities, which makes him culpable for her decision to end her own life."

A year after his wife's death, Milne went on to sexually assault two young boys in the summer of 2024.

He was convicted of the two separate charges at Forfar Sheriff Court last year and was placed on the sex offenders' register.

As well as a community payback order (CPO), which included three years of supervision, there was also a conduct requirement banning him from having contact with children under the age of 16 unless previously approved by officials.

Detective Chief Inspector Craig Kelly branded him a "cruel, manipulative and violent man".

He added: "She was very clearly terrified of him on that night. It is a tragedy that she lost her life as a consequence.

"Our thoughts are with Kimberly's family and friends following this sentencing.

"They have dealt with her tragic loss with great dignity and hopefully this outcome will provide a degree of closure."

The suspect, a 27-year-old Sudanese national, was held at Manston processing centre, in Kent, on Friday morning on suspicion of "endangering another during a journey by sea to the UK", the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

The four who died had tried to board a dinghy at Equihen-Plage, south of Boulogne-sur-mer, near Calais, but were swept away by strong currents at around 7am local time on Thursday, according to French authorities.

The NCA said 38 people were returned to the French shore but 74 migrants sailed on to the UK.

The suspect is in custody for questioning, while those who made the journey to the UK are also being interviewed.

An investigation into the circumstances of the deaths of the two men and two women, whose identities have not yet been released, is being led by French prosecutors.

Craig Turner, NCA deputy director, said: "Working with colleagues at home and abroad, we are determined to do all we can to identify and bring to justice those responsible for these four tragic deaths."

The latest fatalities came less than two weeks after two migrants died off the coast of France during an attempt to cross the Channel, one of the world's ​busiest shipping lanes.

In the ‌past year, traffickers have taken to motor dinghies along stretches of ‌the northern French and Belgian coasts, picking migrants up along the shore. Authorities refer to them as 'taxi-boats'.

Francois-Xavier Lauch, an official for Pas-de-Calais, said on Thursday "the people who died were attempting to board a taxi-boat".

"They were already quite far into the sea," he said.

"The currents, which can be dangerous here, swept them away."

Two children were among those taken to hospital as a precaution after the incident and another person was treated for hypothermia.

The UK government last month signed an extension with France over current arrangements on beach patrols as part of efforts to reduce the number of Channel crossings.

On Wednesday, French emergency services took part in a training exercise to practise dealing with migrants in the water at the same beach where the deaths happened.

Migration minister Mike Tapp said: "Every death in the Channel is a tragedy. Our experienced law enforcement teams will continue working relentlessly with international partners to prevent these perilous journeys and bring those responsible to justice.

"Through our Border Security Act, officers now have stronger powers to act earlier and disrupt, intercept and take down the operations of criminal smuggling gangs who bring illegal migrants to our shores."

More than 5,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel so far this year, according to Home Office data.

There will also be a review into how pornography sites verify the age and consent of people featured in their videos, which will look at ways to allow people to withdraw previously given consent, Sky News has learnt.

The new measures mean the UK could have some of the strongest regulations of online pornography in the world, MPs told Sky News.

The government initially did not support the changes, leading to threats of a rebellion from female MPs who had been demanding further safeguards in light of a review into online pornography by the Conservative peer Gabby Bertin.

The review found online pornography was insufficiently regulated compared to offline, leading to an explosion of degrading, misogynistic and violent content.

Baroness Bertin tabled several amendments, which were passed in the House of Lords last month, inflicting defeats on the government.

This included a ban on pornography of adults pretending to be children, a ban on step incest pornography, the requirement for sites to verify age and consent and to allow people featuring in the videos to withdraw consent.

The government had argued that some of these would be difficult to enforce, and relationships between adult step relatives were not illegal in real life.

However, MPs told Sky News the government had "lost the plot" if they thought they would "go through the lobby voting to keep step incest porn".

It paved the way for a potential showdown with the amendments due to be back in the Commons for debate next week, as part of the Crime and Policing Bill.

Sources told Sky News there have been weeks of constructive discussions, with ministers said to have "heard the voice of parliament" and recognised "this was a political and moral issue".

The government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls within a decade and campaigners see tackling harmful online content as crucial to that.

Tracy Gilbert, the Labour MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, told Sky News the changes announced on Friday are a "victory for the survivors who have bravely called for these reforms" and "will help to meet" that commitment.

What are the government's amendments?

Measures announced by the Ministry of Justice on Friday include a ban on depictions of sex between step or foster relations where one person is pretending to be under 18, and depictions of any pornography where an adult is role-playing as a child.

It will be illegal for anyone to possess or publish this type of content, with maximum prison sentences of between two and five years.

The government had previously said it would ban depictions of incest in online pornography, while strangulation has already been banned.

Another amendment will mean tech executives could be held personally liable if platforms fail to comply with Ofcom's enforcement decisions to remove people's intimate images that have been shared without consent.

Separately, a list of amendments seen by Sky News shows the government will review how sites verify the age and consent of people featured in pornographic content.

The review, to be completed within 12 months of the legislation passing, will look at how people who do give consent could have an exit mechanism, such as a break clause in their contract, it is understood.

It was felt that a review was necessary to get this right, as it could include new rules around contract law and how that applies in the pornography industry.

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Alongside the review, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Liz Kendall, will be granted regulatory powers to make changes to age verification and consent of people featured in videos, via the Online Safety Act (OSA).

The OSA already requires sites to have robust age verification to prevent children from accessing the content.

Emily Darlington, the Labour MP for Milton Keynes Central, told Sky News the new amendments "will protect women from abuse and be some of the most stringent online pornography amendments in the world".

Jess Asato, the Labour MP for Lowestoft, said: "After many years of campaigning to ensure online pornographic content is subject to the same rules as offline content, I am delighted the government has announced these clear changes to our law.

"Step-incest pornography and that which depicts performers as children is abhorrent.

"Alongside banning strangulation in pornography which the government previously announced, tackling this vile content will make our country a safer place for women and children and shows the UK can lead the world in tackling violence against women and girls."