Prince Harry’s coworkers do not call him by his royal title, says boss

Prince Harry’s new boss has commended him on his “incredible attitude” and confirmed that he has been in the role for a “few months”.

Alexi Robichaux, chief executive of US professional coaching and mental health firm BetterUp, said the Duke of Sussex was “filled with energy and enthusiasm” for his new position.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Robichaux said: “He’s been in the role for a couple of months and we’re really excited to share the news with the world.

“He’s focusing on a few areas… helping to change the dialogue around mental health to focus on strength building and mental fitness.

“The most impressive thing has been his focus singularly on how can he be of service, how can he advance his vision and his mission and how can we make a positive impact on the world together.”

Read more

He added: “He’s got an incredible attitude and he is filled with energy and enthusiasm.”

Mr Robichaux would not comment on Prince Harry’s hours of work or salary, but confirmed that his royal title is not used in the workplace, stating that he “likes to be called Harry, so we just address him as Harry”.

The tech-CEO also told Sky News that Prince Harry’s appointment was “bigger than commercial success: this is about global impact.”

He said: “We were just so impressed, and really I think there was such a natural chemistry and synergy around the insights and the contributions he can make creatively to BetterUp in ensuring that we achieve our mission.

“And so as we crafted the role together, those four buckets of opportunities, we came to the title ‘chief impact officer’, really denoting that he’s focused on our mission and he’s focused on ensuring that we’re doing everything we can to achieve our mission on a bigger and larger and grander scale to impact the lives of more people.”

In a statement, the Duke said his goal was to “lift up critical dialogues around mental health, build supportive and compassionate communities, and foster an environment for honest and vulnerable conversations”.

He added that his focus will be on driving advocacy and awareness for mental fitness, guiding the firm's social mission, influencing the vision of its platform, community and member experience, and expanding its global community.

BetterUp was founded in 2013 and provides mobile-based professional coaching, counselling and mentorship.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their decision to step back from royal duties in January 2020, saying they would be beginning a new life as financially independent royals.

They formally stepped down as senior members of the royal family on 1 April last year and have since given up the use of their royal titles and relocated from London to California with their son Archie.

Since then, the Sussexes have signed deals with Spotify and Netflix estimated to be worth more than £100m.

In February of this year, the couple announced they were expecting their second child, before revealing they were having a girl during an interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this month.