Did Prince Harry just become a Silicon Valley hipster? Inside the Duke’s new jobs at BetterUp and the Aspen Institute fighting mental health and disinformation: but will he get his own office?

Mar 26 , 2021

Prince Harry has not one but two new jobs in California – both centred around his passion to fight mental health issues and disinformation. Photo: Xinhua

The royal rebel is now chief impact officer at a San Francisco-based AI company that promises to ‘bring the power of transformation to every person’

His new boss at BetterUp says he wasn’t hired because of his and Meghan Markle’s fame, but because he has been a fierce advocate for mental health for years

Prince Harry has been in the news a lot lately, but this past week we’ve seen headlines we never thought we’d live to witness: the royal rebel has scored not one but two actual jobs! Not only has he joined the BetterUp mental wellness app as chief impact officer, he’s also bagged a gig at the Aspen Institute’s new Commission on Information Disorder as a commissioner.

While there are currently no details on his compensation or employment agreement, it will certainly be the financial boost that Harry and wife Meghan Markle need after stepping down as senior royals.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (pictured here in Windsor, UK), is no longer on Buckingham Palace’s payroll, and has been forced to find jobs in his new home of California. Photo: AFP

The CEO of BetterUp Inc. said on Wednesday that he hired Prince Harry as an executive because of his tenacious advocacy for the kind of mental health services that his firm provides, and the publicity brought by the move is merely a perk. Chief executive Alexi Robichaux broke the news that the Duke of Sussex will play the specially created role of chief impact officer at the San Francisco-based BetterUp, which sells companies employee coaching and mental health help.

“Prince Harry has been one of the fiercest advocates for mental wellness or mental fitness for many years,” Robichaux said, citing Harry’s work for organisations like Head Fit, a service he launched in partnership with the UK Ministry of Defence. “This has been a big part of his personal life’s journey and his personal life’s mission.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pictured after the announcement of their engagement. The pair have come a long way since then. Photo: BBC

It doesn’t hurt, he conceded, that Harry is among the world’s most famous men, who seems to constantly be making news along with his wife, Meghan Markle.

“It’s awesome. I mean, look, we’ll take the press, it certainly helps,” he said. But was quick to add, “that’s not the driving motivation here.”

Robichaux said the role emerged out of months of conversations he and Harry had after they were introduced by an unnamed mutual friend who rightly believed the two thought alike.

“There was a lot of energy and enthusiasm on both sides around this mission of how could we use technology, how could we use science, how could we use human experts to help people go through a personal growth and transformation journey?” Robichaux said. “And so that was the start.”