It was confirmed today that Prince Harry now has a job. He is the Chief Impact Officer at a Silicon Valley startup called BetterUp which provides “coaching and mental health services” to corporate clients. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news:

 

Harry’s bio has already been added to the leadership team page:

Prince Harry's BetterUp bio

Chief Impact Officer… what does that mean? Per CNN, Harry is “expected to have input into product strategy decisions and charitable contributions, and advocate publicly on topics related to mental health”. BetterUp’s CEO, Alexi Robichaux told the WSJ that this is “a meaningful and meaty role”. Part of which will likely include public relations? That would fit into the “advocate publicly” part of the job description. Few people have his name recognition, his reach, his ability to walk into any room, access any media outlet, every camera. BetterUp is likely counting on that to raise its own profile – after all, you’ve now heard of them, because Prince Harry is working there. To say nothing of the new business they might attract now that people have a way to actually get one step closer to Prince Harry. Not all clients, obviously, will have contact with BetterUp’s Chief Impact Officer but the possibility is still there…if, that is, you and your company connect with them for their services. 

 

So a year after stepping down as senior members of the British royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have made some serious moves: deals with Netflix and Spotify, solidifying plans for Archewell, spilling all the tea with Oprah during the Television Event of the Year – and now this, with Harry and his new job…his first real job? Being a royal, sure, was job in a sense, but this is a job in the way most of us understand a job to be, as in getting an actual regular paycheque with taxes deducted, claiming benefits, attending health and safety meetings, getting business cards printed…

Business cards!

I know tech people like to do things digitally but in my experience, people still do business cards. And Prince Harry’s business cards will read “Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex”. LOLOLOLOL. I’m not laughing at him, I’m laughing at the reaction of people getting his business card. What do you do with business cards, be honest? Like, sure, maybe you have a folder and you tuck them away or you take down the information in your phone/email contacts and you recycle? 

 

This is not what will be happening with Prince Harry’s business card. Nobody’s tucking that sh-t away. If anything they’ll be taking a photo of it and sharing it on the group chat. He needs to be judicious with the distribution of this business card.

Realistically, I can’t imagine post-pandemic that Harry will be clocking in every day. Even if you’re not Prince Harry COVID-19 has disrupted what the workplace looks like, and will look like, going forward. Once people have been vaccinated, and the pandemic is declared over, there is no “normal” the way “normal” was before. Already businesses are reorganising for a permanent remote working setup the way it’s been over the last year where possible. And Harry’s job as Chief Impact Officer is probably something he can do remotely, save for the occasions where he has to attend major board meetings etc and make appearances. And company retreats? Imagine Harry participating in an icebreaker exercise? 

 

Oh and the office Christmas party. 

Harry and Meghan at the office Christmas party! When drunk Phil from accounting comes to them and wants a selfie.

It’s a lot of firsts for Harry now. Given what he’s said in the past, the way he almost daydreamed about being unroyal and having the experience that unroyal people have, all of this must be a total trip. You know those rom-coms when the prince gets amnesia or something and has a fish-out-of-water experience living among commoners? That’s literally Prince Harry now.