Prince Harry has gone and landed himself a *proper* job – at a Silicon Valley startup no less. This will be the Duke of Sussex’ first formal position in a private company since leaving the royal family last year. He has previously been in the army, worked closely with a number of charities and, since moving to America, signed multi-million dollar content deals with Spotify and Netflix.
In his new gig, Harry will be chief impact officer for mental health startup BetterUp.
BetterUp is currently valued at £730 million and provides professional coaching, immersive learning and mental health advice.
In his role, Harry will be expected to help with product strategy decisions, charitable collaborations and advise on mental health-related topics. CEO of BetterUp, Alexi Robichaux described Harry’s role as “meaningful and meaty”. Harry and Alex are said to have met through a mutual friend.
“This is about acknowledging that it [mental health] isn’t so much what is wrong with us, but more about what has happened to us over the course of life,” Harry told the Wall Street Journal.
“Often because of societal barriers, financial difficulty, or stigma, too many people aren’t able to focus on their mental health until they’re forced to. I want us to move away from the idea that you have to feel broken before reaching out for help.”
The BetterUp website, which now lists Harry among its employees, says of the Duke: “As co-founder of Archewell, he is focused on driving systemic change across all communities through non-profit work as well as creative activations.
“The mission across Archewell – which currently includes Archewell Foundation, Archewell Productions, and Archewell Audio – is united behind the deeply held belief that compassion is the defining cultural force of the 21st century.”
During that interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this month, Harry told her that he was “cut off financially” from his family when he and wife Meghan Markle stepped back as working royals. He added that he had money left to him by his late mother Princess Diana and without that they “wouldn’t have been able to do this”.
While Harry’s not the first royal to have a ‘proper’ job, it’s unusual for a Monarch or heir’s kid to work for a private company. Prince Andrew’s daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, both have high profile jobs in the private sector – Beatrice is the Vice President of Partnerships & Strategy for software company Afiniti and Eugenie is a director at London art gallery Hauser & Wirth.