Prince Harry says ‘quitting brings joy’ in new dig at royals

Two years after ditching his job as a royal, Prince Harry has urged people “unhappy” in their work to resign. Take our poll.

Prince Harry has urged people who feel “stuck in jobs that don’t bring them joy” to quit and said leaving work was something to be “celebrated”, nearly two years after his bitter departure from the royal family.

The Duke of Sussex, who lives in a A$20-million-dollar mansion in California and has a litany of big-buck endorsement deals with companies that pay him to represent their brands, said people should leave their jobs to put their happiness first.

The Duke’s comments have been seen as a dig at his family, nearly two years after he walked out as a working royal for a new – and lucrative – life in the US with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their son, Archie. (The couple became parents to a second child, Lilibet, in June.)

Prince Harry spoke about mental health at a BetterUp conference. Picture: Supplied

Prince Harry said that the rise in job resignations during the coronavirus pandemic wasn’t “all bad” and he was pleased that people were putting their mental health and happiness first.

He was speaking as chief impact officer for professional coaching and mental health firm BetterUp – one of many ventures since leaving the royals.

“I’ve actually discovered recently, courtesy of a chat with Adam Grant, that a lot of the job resignations you mention aren’t all bad,” he said, according to a report in The Sun.

“In fact, it is a sign that with self-awareness comes the need for change.

“Many people around the world have been stuck in jobs that didn’t bring them joy, and now they’re putting their mental health and happiness first.

“This is something to be celebrated.”

“While on the surface it looks like these last couple of years brought all these issues to the foreground, the reality is these struggles and issues have been brewing for quite some time.

“We’re just at the beginning of the mental health awakening.”

Prince Harry says the world is going through a ‘mental health awakening’.

San Francisco-based BetterUp is valued at A$6.6bn dollars and Prince Harry’s role, which he took on in March, includes product strategy, philanthropy, and public advocacy related to mental health.

He previously opened up about his mental health this year in a documentary with Oprah Winfrey – claiming his family showed “total neglect” for his mental health issues.

He spoke about his struggles with his mental wellbeing and the trauma that haunts him after the death of mother Princess Diana.

But royal biographer Angela Levin, author of 2018 book Harry: Conversations with the Prince, said: “Harry is utterly out of touch with people telling them to quit their jobs if they have mental health issues.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped away as senior members of the royal family in January, 2020. Picture: Getty Images

“Not everyone has (A$60m) tucked away in the bank. I wonder if he’d give the same advice to people whose mental health is made worse by their marriage. Be quiet, H, please.”

His comments also touched a nerve with people online.

“You don’t get any more privileged than telling people to quit their jobs when they weren’t born into wealth and need to pay bills,” one person said.

Another: “Prince Harry telling people to simply quit their job for their mental health if they aren’t happy may be the most out of touch thing he’s ever said.

“He’s right it would. But he’s forgotten most of us don’t inherit millions or have the luxury to stash millions fronting brands.”

Prince Harry’s quotes were published as his brother Prince William spoke about his own mental health struggles during an Apple audio walking tour.

The Duke of Cambridge told how his job as an air ambulance helicopter pilot caused him a mental health crisis when he helped to rescue a seriously injured child – but he continued to work in the role.

– with The Sun