Prince Harry is stepping back from his leadership post at BetterUp.
The Duke of Sussex, 42, will leave his position as chief impact officer at the online mental health coaching firm and become a senior advisor, BetterUp CEO Alexi Robichaux announced Friday in a statement on the company website. Harry had held the chief impact officer title since 2021, when he became one of the most high-profile names attached to the Silicon Valley startup.
Robichaux recalled that he and co-founder Eddie Medina brought Harry aboard because they were “impressed by his adept understanding of the power of coaching” and his conviction that “coaching should be available to people everywhere.” The executive noted that “Prince Harry’s time on our leadership team marked an impactful chapter of growth for our company.”
“When he joined us, he was one of the most prominent voices making the case for mental fitness,” Robichaux added.
The CEO explained that “after five incredible years together,” Harry’s new advisory position will have him “focus on key projects with some of our largest enterprise customers, working alongside our team and the leaders we partner with.” Robichaux also framed the shift as giving Harry “more time to grow his portfolio of investments, pursue new business opportunities, and continue his support of philanthropic causes close to his heart.”
BetterUp will maintain its partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation, which Harry founded, allowing the firm to “keep supporting veterans as they strengthen their resilience and reach their goals in recovery and growth,” Robichaux wrote. He closed by thanking Harry directly: “Harry, thank you for what you’ve helped build here. I’m glad we get to keep doing this work together in this new capacity.”
Harry’s original hiring made waves when he confirmed it to The Wall Street Journal via email in 2021. “I intend to help create impact in people’s lives,” he told the newspaper at the time. He also wrote that the work was “about acknowledging that it isn’t so much [about] what is wrong with us, but more about what has happened to us over the course of life.”
The role change comes as Harry and Meghan Markle, 45, have relocated their family to the United Kingdom for what has been described as an extended stay. The couple, along with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, arrived at Birmingham Airport around lunchtime on Aug. 26 after flying privately from California. They have since reportedly taken up residence at a Cotswolds property owned by a wealthy businessman friend.
The timing also overlaps with personal turmoil on Meghan’s side of the family. Her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., was arrested by the FBI in Florida on charges of possessing child pornography and has since been released on bond to his senior health care facility. A representative for the Duke and Duchess said “No comment” when asked whether they would address the arrest.
Harry’s move to an advisory capacity marks a notable scaling back of his day-to-day corporate responsibilities, even as he retains a formal tie to the company that made him a rare royal presence in the tech world.
The duke’s new portfolio at BetterUp will center on enterprise-level partnerships rather than broad organizational leadership, a shift that parallels his family’s recent geographic move and his ongoing recalibration of public and private roles.
