Prince Harry has a new job, but what exactly will he be doing?
Harry said he will be drawing upon his military experience in the new role.
Prince Harry has been given a job with a US startup worth $1.7bn (€1.44bn).
The British prince has been appointed chief impact officer at BetterUp, which provides mobile-based coaching, counselling and mentorship to, in their words, ‘transform lives and careers’.
The Wall Street Journal reports Harry will not be managing employees or have direct reports. Instead, chief executive Alexi Robichaux says Harry’s new role will champion the importance of human potential worldwide.
“As a member of the BetterUp executive team, Prince Harry will expand on the work he’s been doing for years, as he educates and inspires our community and champions the importance of focusing on preventative mental fitness and human potential worldwide,” Robichaux said.
It sounds a bit vague and as it is a role that did not previously exist, there’s not much information about what the nitty-gritty of Harry’s workdays will be like.
In his own statement, the prince said he will be enabling communication around mental health — now described as 'mental fitness' — to build stronger communities and hopes to help people become the best versions of themselves. So far, so San Francisco.
“As BetterUp’s first chief impact officer, my goal is to lift up critical dialogues around mental health, build supportive and compassionate communities, and foster an environment for honest and vulnerable conversations. And my hope is to help people develop their inner strength, resilience, and confidence.”
The prince has spoken often about the importance of looking after mental health. He and his wife, Meghan, recently revealed their own struggles within the monarchy.
Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey on March 7 left the monarchy in crisis after the couple accused the British royal family of racism and the institution of doing nothing to help Meghan when she had suicidal thoughts.
As part of his job, Harry said he will be focusing on four key areas: Driving advocacy and awareness for mental fitness; guiding the company’s social mission and impact; influencing the vision of BetterUp’s platform, community, and member experience; and expanding the firm’s global community through outreach and strategic planning.
"I firmly believe that focusing on and prioritising our mental fitness unlocks potential and opportunity that we never knew we had inside of us. As the Royal Marine Commandos say, 'It's a state of mind.' We all have it in us."
Harry said he will be drawing upon his military experience in the new role.
“What I’ve learned in my own life is the power of transforming pain into purpose. During my decade in the military, I learned that we don’t just need to build physical resilience, but also mental resilience. And in the years since, my understanding of what resilience means — and how we can build it — has been shaped by the thousands of people and experts I’ve been fortunate to meet and learn from.”
He added he worked with a BetterUp coach in the past and ensured his Archewell team also had access to the company’s services.
In a job that will “champion the importance of focusing on preventative mental fitness and human potential worldwide” but that doesn’t specify how the high-profile person in the role will do so, it’s easy to imagine this more as clever PR for BetterUp than as a nine-to-five hustle for a wealthy man born into royalty and married to a beautiful actress.
Harry’s first cousin Princess Beatrice has worked in finance and consulting for years and she is currently the vice president of partnerships and strategy with Afiniti, a company which provides software for call centres.
Her sister, Princess Eugenie, worked for an online auction firm before becoming a director at London art gallery, Hauser & Wirth.
King Yuhi of Rwanda has been living in a semi-detached house in Manchester for over 20 years and is a former Pepsi Cola worker and was an assistant in a charity shop. He became monarch of Rwanda in January 2017 following the death of his uncle, King Kigeli V. He and his family were exiled in 1961 when it became a republic.
Princess Märtha Louise of Norway is a certified physiotherapist but has never practiced her profession. She also claims she can communicate with animals and angels and started her own alternative therapy centre, Astarte Education.
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands had a part-time job as a ‘guest pilot’ with KLM for 21 years, even after his accession to the throne. He was rarely recognised while in the KLM uniform and cap, though a few passengers recognised his voice.
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