Inside Prince Harry’s ‘public service’ empire — which is all about the dough

Prince Harry may claim to be all about public service, but he is raking in the dough -- creating his own empire where cash is king. "Spare," the prince's bombshell memoir, for which he was paid a rumored £20 million advance, is an instant bestseller, shattering records in the US and the United Kingdom where it sold 1.4 million copies on its first day of publication last week. He's also reportedly making more than £100 million in a deal he and his wife Meghan Markle signed with Netflix and their for-profit company Archewell Productions.

The company produced a six-part documentary series "Harry and Meghan," which began streaming last year. The couple, who resigned from their royal duties in 2021 -- losing much of their income in the process -- is also working on another seven-part series for the streaming giant featuring interviews with prominent leaders around the world. Another for-profit company started by the couple, Archewell Audio, brokered a deal that is said to be worth £25 million to produce podcasts for Spotify.

Markle's "Archetypes with Meghan" interview series debuted last year amid resignations of two of the company's producers.

It's not known if there will be a second season of Meghan Markle's "Archetypes" podcast, which is part of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's £25 million Spotify deal.REUTERS

In addition, Harry, 38, has aligned himself with a host of other for-profit enterprises, including working as "chief impact officer" for a Silicon Valley executive coaching and mental health start-up called BetterUp. The £5 billion company, which has worked with Google, Hilton and WarnerMedia, experienced a revolt within its own ranks when it reportedly slashed a stipend for its therapists last year, according to the Daily Beast. "There's so many of us now who are upset," said one coach whose effective pay was slated to fall by nearly a third. "I would say my heart is broken.

And I think there's really questionable ethics going on." A spokeswoman for the company told The Post Wednesday that last year BetterUp conducted forums, townhalls and individual conversations with therapist to "align coach pay and member impact."

The Sussexes joined the Tribeca-based asset-management firm Ethic as "impact partners," but critics question the firm's use of largely unregulated ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) investing.BACKGRID

Last year, Harry and Markle joined the team of Ethic, becoming "impact partners" for the asset management company that invests in sustainable projects and companies. The couple has also invested in the firm, according to a press release on Ethic's website.

"They're deeply committed to helping address the defining issues of our time -- such as climate, gender equity, health, racial justice, human rights, and strengthening democracy -- and understand that these issues are inherently interconnected," the website says. "So much so, in fact, that they became investors in Ethic earlier this year and have investments managed by Ethic as well." Ethic, which has more than £1.5 billion in investments that it manages, was partly founded by Australian Johny Mair, whose previous entrepreneurial venture was "Sh-ter," a company that printed personal Twitter feeds on a roll of toilet paper, which it sold for £35.

Ethic's Johnny Mair was previously involved in "Sh-ter," a company that printed personal Twitter feeds on toilet paper.

Ethic has a list of 50 zany employees, which the three founders have likened to "hippies." Employees include the company's dogs, who are all featured on their web site. Byron, a Labrador Retriever, is listed as "Chief Smile Officer" while Gigi is listed as "security in training."

"If I help with the leftovers, does that count as zero waste?" notes the quotation in Gigi's profile. The company focuses on largely unregulated ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) investing, which experts say raises questions and can be deceptive. For instance, funds can charge investors exorbitant fees for investing in assets that may not be complying with ethical guidelines.

Prince Harry founded the non-profit Travylyst, which partners with giant companies such as Expedia and TripAdvisor to promote more sustainable travel.Getty Images

It's not clear how much Prince Harry makes for his roles in Ethic and BetterUp or whether he gets a salary from Travalyst Limited, a London-based non-profit he founded that partners with giant travel companies, such as Expedia and TripAdvisor, to promote more sustainable travel.

The Prince appeared in a satirical promotional video skit for the travel non-profit last year in which he was chased down by a New Zealand "rating agent" holding a lollipop wrapper that he claimed the prince dropped on his royal tour of the country with Markle four years ago. In the video, Harry is jogging in a wooded area, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with "Girl Dad" in block letters. The video ends with the rating agent realizing that he was in fact searching for singer Harry Styles and not "stylish Harry."

Despite Travylyst's mission, Harry and Markle have also been criticized for private-jet use.Getty Images

"While travelers have long been able to rate their holiday stay, Travalyst is now asking: How would your holiday rate you?" the Travalyst web site says.

Markle and Harry have been widely criticized for using private jets to travel while encouraging others to adopt more sustainable travel practices. At the launch of Travalyst in Sept.

2019, Prince Harry addressed the criticisms, saying: "We can all do better."

Travylyst ended 2021 with just £13,000 in reserve, documents show.Getty Images for Invictus Games

Travalyst Limited was incorporated in April 2020, and spent more than the US dollar equivalent of £410,000 in 2021, according to British public records. Travalyst ended that year with just £13,000 in reserves, records show.

It's not clear where the cash was spent. Travalyst includes James Holt on its three-member board of directors, according to public records. Holt, a former spokesman for Prince Harry and Markle is also executive director of Archewell Inc., also founded in 2020.

The Los Angeles-based non-profit reported to the IRS that it took in less than £50,000 in 2021, its first year of operation, public records show. A spokeswoman for Prince Harry and Markle did not return a request for comment.

Prince Harry reportedly made some £20 million for his memoir, "Spare."ZUMAPRESS.com

Harry was one of 15 commissioners on a 2022 panel for the Aspen Institute, a non-profit that hosted an "intensive, six-month commission" bringing together experts from government, media and the private sector in order to provide recommendations to fight against "information disorder." Also included were Katie Couric and "technical advisor" Yoel Roth, the former head of site integrity at Twitter, who is scheduled to testify in front of the House Oversight Committee over the platform's decision to censor The Post's articles that linked President Biden to his son's international business dealings.

Prince Harry was not paid for his participation in the study, said a spokeswoman for the Aspen Institute.