back to article Prince Harry, the Count of Montecito, turns Silicon Valley startup exec with first job based in 21st Century

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have gone full California with the news that the actor’s husband is to become a tech exec. Harry aka the Duke of Sussex aka the Count of Montecito has accepted a job as chief impact officer for life-coaching and mental-health startup BetterUp. It’s hard to imagine a better fit. BetterUp sells …

  1. Cederic Silver badge

    that's nice

    It's good to see him seeking help from life coaches and mental health experts. His heart feels in the right place but he really doesn't have a handle on the media, how to manage them or how to cope with being bullied and controlled by an abusive woman. Some professional assistance is exactly what he needs, and hopefully he can escape and rebuild his life.

    1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

      He has escaped.

      1. jake Silver badge

        No, he hasn't.

        He's still married to her.

        Out of the frying pan, into the fire.

        1. AMBxx Silver badge
          Mushroom

          Re: No, he hasn't.

          Given their respective family histories and her acting career, the chances of their marriage lasting more than 5 years must be close to zero.

          I'm looking forward to Harry's tell-all book about the nightmare of being married to Meghan.

        2. Androgynous Cupboard Silver badge

          Re: No, he hasn't.

          That might have been funnier if you hadn’t sat through 18 months of the tabloids trashing her at every opportunity. But I have, and I’m a bit done with that, jake. I don’t know her. Neither do you, so let her be. And well done to them both for getting out of dodge and trying to earn an honest (*) living

          1. jake Silver badge

            Re: No, he hasn't.

            Who was being funny?

            We have our fair share of tabloids, too, and they've also been all over the Harry saga since the year dot. Why I'm not really certain. (Oprah is one of those tabloids, but on telly instead of paper.) My opinion of her is based on what she tells the talking heads, usually in video clips in the "human interest" section of what passes for the news, so it's pretty much from the horse's mouth. As it were.

            If they wanted to be "out of dodge" (the public eye, I assume you mean), would they have agreed to appear on Oprah? Or had corporate press releases made in their name? Seems an odd way to go about it.

            But you're right, it's really none of our business. I'll drop it from here on out.

  2. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    "founded in 2013"

    It's 2021 and they're still not making a profit ?

    Burn it down and salt the ashes. There is no reason, apart from Californian stupidity, to uphold a company that hasn't had a single year of profit in almost a decade.

    If it was a donut shop it would have been dead in 2015, tops.

    1. jake Silver badge

      Re: "founded in 2013"

      Concur. These kind of companies seems to exist only to pad the principals bank accounts. They should be done away with en mass.

      1. AMBxx Silver badge

        Re: "founded in 2013"

        Let's be honest - we're all a bit jealous. It's one thing to get rich by having a great idea. It's a different level of success to get rich by fooling people that what you are doing is worthwhile.

    2. bombastic bob Silver badge
      Pirate

      Re: "founded in 2013"

      remember the "dot bomb" companies?

      They're probably a straw and/or a single card away from collapse...

      Sell to the investors! Sell the INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY! Make THAT our Business, and use famous people as employees to help promote it!!!

      Without doing any research on this company I'll say that, pretty confidently, believing that I'm right.

      (Those VCs should invest in MY company instead. i'll hire people and make stuff. Hopefully, would make a profit, too. I'm envious...)

    3. AMBxx Silver badge

      Re: "founded in 2013"

      That's why they need Harry. Veneer of respectability, quick float and run.

  3. Pen-y-gors

    Name?

    Could we please agree to call him by his proper name? Harry Windsor I believe.

    (OK, that sounds like a dodgy second-hand car salesman in Stepney, but hey...)

    1. jake Silver badge

      Re: Name?

      "Harry Windsor I believe."

      Only because his grandmum declared his grandad was a Windsor. If he were a normal bloke, he'd be called by his grandad's chosen name and be known as Harry Mountbatten.

      Is it just me, or does that sound like a dodgy used car salesman in Hollywood?

      1. Rainer Rechnermann

        Re: Name?

        Heinrich Battenerg ?

        1. seven of five
          Headmaster

          Re: Name?

          von Battenberg.

          1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

            Re: Name?

            Mmmm. Cake!

    2. JassMan

      Re: Name?

      Could we please agree to call him by his proper name? Harry Windsor I believe.

      I thought is was really Battenberg (aka Mountbatten) or Saxe-Coburg. Windsor is just where the royals have one of their many palaces.

      1. Rainer Rechnermann

        Re: Name?

        All of european kings were highly intermarried, btw. Including the Russian one.

        1. Danny Boyd

          Re: Name?

          You mean the current Russian one or the past one?

    3. My other car WAS an IAV Stryker
      Headmaster

      Re: Name?

      "Proper" would actually be Henry, not Harry. Henry Windsor or Henry Mountbatten sound so much more priggish*.

      * I hope that's a sufficient descriptor; I'm just a stupid Left Pondian versed in a bastardized language, but I do know his legal name from his popular/nick-name.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: Name?

        Mountbatten is just Phil the Greek's stage name. He doesn't have a surname cos he was a prince before he married Brenda.

        1. A.P. Veening Silver badge

          Re: Name?

          He was indeed a prince, but he did have a surname, von Battenberg, which got Anglicised to Mountbatten, exactly the same as his (and his wife's) uncle, who become well known for being the last viceroy of India, Lord Mountbatten.

          1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

            Re: Name?

            His mum's name was Battenburg (or at least she was a princess of Battenburg) his dad was Prince Andrew of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg - which must have been a bugger to pronounce for a Greek.

      2. cortland

        Re: Name?

        The CoE knows. What's on his baptism certificate?

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Name?

      Harry Hewitt. That's why he's been pushed out.

    5. Imhotep

      Re: Name?

      My Dad had a 1956 Chrysler Windsor. Nice middle class car, but not in the same class as the Imperial.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Poor lad. Despite all the wealth etc his life has been totally screwed up. Bet he misses his mum.

  5. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    They can't really complain about the racist backlash

    She knew what she was doing when she chose to marry a ginger

    1. Trigun

      Re: They can't really complain about the racist backlash

      I wonder what would happen if you flipped that statement around and made it about the colour of her skin as opposed to the colour of his hair (both immutable characteristics). Hmmm, let me think...

      1. jake Silver badge

        Re: They can't really complain about the racist backlash

        Methinks that was rather the point.

      2. Trigun
        Facepalm

        Re: They can't really complain about the racist backlash

        Sorry, I indeed missed the point. No excuses.

        1. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge
          Thumb Up

          Re: They can't really complain about the racist backlash

          Sorry, I indeed missed the point. No excuses. .... Trigun

          Have an upvote for that magnanimous admission of guilt, Trigun.

          We've all been there as some time or other :-) ...... and with many there, too many times to be feeling comfortable with.

          And all it takes is such a wholesome heartfelt apology to fix such things.

          1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

            Re: They can't really complain about the racist backlash

            Shit we've broken amanfromMars1 - I think we put it into debug mode

            1. Fungus Bob
              Trollface

              Re: They can't really complain about the racist backlash

              Yes, we need to put de bugs back in!

            2. Danny Boyd

              Re: They can't really complain about the racist backlash

              The poor thing was rebooted in Safe Mode w/o networking.

      3. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: They can't really complain about the racist backlash

        At least she's only black - it's not like she's Catholic !

        1. A.P. Veening Silver badge

          Re: They can't really complain about the racist backlash

          That is what the Dutch heir to the throne did in 2002, marrying a Catholic (and that was just the least of the problems).

  6. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    During my decade in the military,

    Demonstrating the values of peace and democracy to Afghans by having an hereditary monarch shoot them from a helicopter.

    1. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

      Re: During my decade in the military,

      Harry and his brother had short careers as Helicopter pilots in the Army and RAF respectively. Harry's training as an Apache pilot would have cost a significant amount, and his active duty had to be cut short due to both media and enemy interest in him. I always think if those positions were awarded to non-royals, then those individuals may have served longer than these two, and the country had a better return on the investment

    2. Steve K

      Re: During my decade in the military,

      What's the difference between the Afghans and Meghan?

      The Afghans didn't get to blow up Harry's chopper...

      (Another recycled joke, brought to you by Steve)

      (C) 1982

    3. Rainer Rechnermann

      Re: During my decade in the military,

      At least he took some personal risk and surely he was not the "decider" here. You should ask the media people why we are still occupying Afghanistan. The war cause (terrorists) has long been wiped out. Now they have found 27 more reasons to occupy that nation.

      1. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

        Re: During my decade in the military,

        You should ask the media people why we are still occupying Afghanistan. .... Rainer Rechnermann

        And don't be shy about that and be specific ...... Is it anything to do with the command and control of the extremely lucrative perennial opium poppy crop ?

        1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

          Re: During my decade in the military,

          We have to control Afghanistan to protect India from the Czar

          1. Rainer Rechnermann

            Re: During my decade in the military,

            You mean encircling the czar and the chinese king ?

  7. Trigun

    I get the feeling that the article writer is a tad biased against the royal family? Perhaps just my imagination.

    Either way, with regard Harry and Megan: They elected to not be "royals" with the responsibilities and duties that went with it, so I think Harry going and getting a job (of whatever type) is a good thing as he should be paying his way. No royal duties means no royal rights & benefits in my book, apart from security which would be potentially disastrous to withdraw.

    Beyond that? For heavens sake just leave the couple to do their thing. I'm tired of seeing vaccuous or grubby stories about them and their (what should be) private disagreements with their families in the press.

    1. jake Silver badge

      "I'm tired of seeing vaccuous or grubby stories about them and their (what should be) private disagreements with their families in the press."

      But they, apparently, are not. Why else agree to be interviewed by Oprah? It would seem that they not only like rolling around in the mud, they positively revel in it.

      One wonders how much Oprah paid them to flash their dirty knickers on DearOldTelly.

      1. cookieMonster Silver badge

        I heard/read somewhere it was in the region of 17 million dollars, but can’t be sure if that is fact or speculation

      2. Trigun

        Oh I totally agree. It come from them as well as the press which is what makes me want them to just "Get on with it!" (monty python style) and the media just drop it.

    2. PerlyKing

      Optional

      I thought the article was fairly neutral in Reg terms - a bit tongue-in-cheek but that's the house style.

      I agree that paying their own way is a good thing, but seeing as their major asset so far is fame/notoriety expect to see more stories about them in the media.

      As for royal security, apparently that was withdrawn when they moved to Canada. When you leave the firm, you lose the perks. Is that unfair? Probably. I guess even princes don't live in fairytales any more.

      1. Trigun

        Re: Optional

        The way I see it, keeping the security is probably a reasonable thing to let Harry have as he was born into the royal family, so didn't have a choice, and that makes him a target for some.

  8. Rainer Rechnermann

    A Failure Of Government

    One would assume that SIS and SeS would give some serious advice to the highest levels of governments then and now. But apparently these princes do not get proper counsel by experts of the government business.

    They should have posted Harry as a military attachee to some remote country, where the journalists dont venture out. Also, they should have told him to shut up more often.

    And the other prince, he walked right into a foregn intel trap. How incompetent is SIS these days ?

  9. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

    There was an article by Simon Jenkins recently -

    "Britain’s royal family is an accident waiting to happen. Prince Charles should dismantle it"

    In it he compares the post WW2 role of European Royal Families against that of the House of Windsor -

    "No other European royal family took Britain’s monarchical route to A-list celebrity."

    I'm not a republican - I am against a politically appointed/anointed/shortlisted head of state - better the European model. Hopefully, the British Royal Family will move on and become smaller and set more of the junior members free - and hopefully, so too will the media and the public - they can find enough and more wannabe celebrities to sate their appetites - those born into monarchy are still entitled to a life ordinary, outside of a gilded cage.

    1. Rainer Rechnermann

      The British have a very selfish, rational reason for the monarchy: they look into the history of the Russian, German, French and some other royal abdications. After the kings were gone, some sort of brutality came along quite quickly.

      The Guardian as a lefty magazine will of course never admit this. It would run against their idealism.

      Harry of Windsor's role is to be a "spare king" in case his brother dies in an aircraft accident or the like. Of course he should have a proper, demanding job in the meantime. One should assume his elders would take care of that, but apparently they failed.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        That makes him already better than the politicians that actually run the country. Maybe time to reconsider parliment?

      2. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

        "Harry of Windsor's role is to be a "spare king" in case his brother dies in an aircraft accident or the like."

        He was the "spare" heir before William's own children came along. He has been relegated in the line of succession to 6th in line after William's youngest Louis.

      3. A.P. Veening Silver badge

        The British have a very selfish, rational reason for the monarchy: they look into the history of the Russian, German, French and some other royal abdications. After the kings were gone, some sort of brutality came along quite quickly.

        Those weren't abdications, an abdication is when a ruling monarch (or pontifex) relinquishes the throne for his successor while still breathing. In the last 50 years there have been several abdications:

        Two in the Netherlands (30-04-1980 and 30-04-2013), where it is a tradition

        One in Belgium

        One in Spain

        One in Rome (2013, Benedictus XVI is still alive)

        One in Japan

        All except the first were in the last 20 years.

        1. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

          Hobby

          Dutch King Willem-Alexander co-piloted commercial KLM flights twice a month...

          https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/17/dutch-king-willem-alexander-admits-to-working-part-time-as-an-airline-pilot

          Thank you Sir. Long may you live and get to keep enjoying your hobby.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    the words go

    "But such is Harry’s work ethic that he has already authorized a blog post with his name in and containing words that he said, possibly out loud."

    And.....

    “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,” the words go.

    Cheers to the author of the article for the words go snark.

    Made me LOL

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