Prince Harry's BetterUp job helps him 'keep up' with wife Meghan Markle and stay relevant, says expert
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are still making headlines almost a month after their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview. Since then, insiders have claimed Meghan and Harry won't shy away from follow-up tell-alls should the royal family not adequately act on the claims made in the interview. In the meantime, Harry recently announced that he's starting a new career as an executive at a Silicon Valley start-up. But this new role has allegedly been in response to his attempts at keeping up with wife Meghan, claim celebrity agents.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Jonathan Shalit made the claim about how the Duke of Sussex, 36, is "trying to keep up" with his former-actor wife, 39. Shalit said, "So for Harry to keep up with his wife, he's got to find his own name and identity and this is the start. He doesn't need celebrity. When you're royal, you're the biggest celebrity in the world. But what this does is allow Harry to have relevance."
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As the chief impact officer at BetterUp, a £1.25 billion ($1.7 billion) worth mental health services business, the former senior royal will help promote the app that users access to contact profiles of therapists and life coaches, quite like the match feature of dating apps. The app is used by several corporate giants like Facebook, who are using it for staff well-being. Alexi Robichaux, CEO of the Silicon Valley start-up, also revealed that Harry has refused to use his royal titles at work while keeping his salary and working hours secret. Speaking to the BBC, Robichaux said: "He’s been in the role for a couple of months, and we’re so excited to share the news with the world. We’re partners here, he likes to be called Harry in the workplace, so we just address him as Harry."
Robichaux shared that he and the company feel 'honoured' that the duke took up the role months ago. And while The Sun estimates similar roles in California earn six or seven-figure salaries, Harry was also revealed to be working as a commissioner on information disorder at the Aspen Institute, a US think tank. Experts think he is working in the US on an O-1 visa granted to people with "extraordinary ability" - Justin Bieber and Hugh Jackman have used one. This visa lasts up to three years, but Harry's two jobs and other TV and radio projects have also sparked speculation on how he acquired this visa. His work for the Invictus Games for injured and sick army personnel could be what qualified him for this visa, along with his latest Oprah interview that earned millions.
Experts however think the royal family is keeping a close eye on Harry's endeavors. Speaking to True Royalty TV's 'The Royal Beat', Russell Meyers said: "There is the argument that if he is ‘Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex’ in all the published materials for [the firm], is that trading off the royal brand which they said they wouldn’t do to uphold the values of The Queen? So it is very debatable at the moment. People at the Palace will be watching this very, very closely."