California’s answer to David Brent? Prince Harry leaves fans disappointed as he dodges livestream of ‘life coaching’ summit for CEOs that charged $1,600-a-ticket – after posing up with The Office star Mindy Kaling

Prince Harry failed to appear in an online livestream of a San Francisco summit held by ‘life coaching’ firm BetterUp in his role as its ‘chief impact officer’.

The Duke of Sussex was listed as a speaker in advance of the Uplift summit taking place yesterday and today, but his attendance at a specific event was not given.

And fans only found out about Harry’s session on managing ‘the pressures of today’s world and modern corporate life’ after a post today by his website Sussex.com.

This was accompanied by four photos – including one of him with actress Mindy Kaling, whose appearance at another session was advertised and livestreamed.

The photo in the Sussex.com post showed him with the actress from the US version of The Office, who appeared in September 2022 on his wife Meghan Markle’s Spotify podcast series Archetypes which was axed last June after one series.

And Harry’s appearance will no doubt draw comparisons to David Brent’s character in the UK’s original The Office played by Ricky Gervais who gives a cringeworthy motivational speech to an audience while the song ‘Simply the Best’ is playing.

The Duke spoke during a ‘Beyond Burnout’ session at the summit yesterday, where he was joined by Dr Adam Grant, BetterUp’s chairman of the ‘Center for Purpose and Performance’, and Kelly Jones, ‘chief people officer’ at technology firm Cisco.

No video footage has been released of what Sussex.com referred to as his ‘insightful’ chat with Dr Grant and Ms Jones. But a post on its website said: ‘The trio dove into the psychological toll of leading through uncertainty, sharing personal anecdotes, evidence-based practices, and forward-thinking policies aimed at helping leaders thrive amidst the pressures of today’s world and modern corporate life.’

Prince Harry posed with The Office actress Mindy Kaling during his appearance at the ‘Beyond Burnout: Transforming C-Level Stress Into Strength’ session in San Francisco yesterday
Prince Harry speaks with Kelly Jones, Cisco ‘chief people officer’, and Dr Adam Grant, BetterUp’s chairman of the ‘Center for Purpose and Performance’, in San Francisco yesterday
Anyone could attend the summit virtually for free by registering online, while in-person tickets at the Hilton Union Square were $1,595 (£1,272) each but sold out.

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Fans discussed his appearance in advance and pointed out that the schedule was unclear. One tweeted last week: ‘The Uplift conference by BetterUp starts in seven days. We’ll probably only see Prince Harry on the last day though. Who knows?’

Another added: ‘BetterUp with Prince Harry. In person sold out but attend virtually is still available. Don’t miss your chance to enjoy a rare appearance of our fav prince.’

MailOnline has contacted BetterUp and Harry and Meghan’s organisation Archewell for comment on why his appearance was not advertised in advance or livestreamed.

His session was called ‘Beyond Burnout: Transforming C-Level Stress Into Strength’, with the American phrase ‘C-level’ referring to the most important ‘chief’ roles at a company such as chief executive, chief operating officer and chief financial officer.

In-person tickets for the BetterUp Uplift summit were $1,595 (£1,272) each but sold out
They looked at ‘how C-level leaders manage the unique pressure of their roles, build resilience, and foster a culture that supports sustainable performance’.

The event – called the ‘Uplift Summit’ – ‘centred on courageous leadership’ and provided a ‘unique forum for C-suite leaders, business executives, and HR professionals and advocates’.

Kaling also spoke at the summit during a discussion on how to lead with ‘levity and creativity’, and said she had been raising her children Katherine, six, and Spencer, three, under the principle of ‘gentle parenting’ – but was reconsidering this.

According to Hello! magazine, the actress was asked a series of quickfire questions by Dr Grant, one of which was: ‘What are you rethinking lately?’

In response, Kaling said: ‘Gentle parenting, I am rethinking. It’s this thing lots of LA and NY and certain progressive cities do, and sometimes you just have to scream at your kids… so I am rethinking it!’

Gentle parenting is a method popularised by millennials, particularly in the US, that involves a mild-mannered style meaning you never raise your voice and calmly acknowledge your child’s feelings.

US actress Mindy Kaling has also appeared on Meghan Markle’s Spotify podcast Archetypes
However it has also faced a backlash from critics who say the emphasis on a parent’s constant physical availability to a child is guilt-inducing, emotionally draining and is often not compatible with adult and work relationships.

Harry – whose presence at yesterday’s session was revealed on Sussex.com – took up his role at BetterUp in March 2021.

He has spoken at length about his own struggles with mental health, and told a previous BetterUp discussion two years ago that he has ‘experienced burnout’ and previously felt he was ‘getting to the very end of everything that I had’.

The Duke said in February 2022 that he was ‘literally getting to the very end of everything that I had, any fuel or any steam in the engine just like I was burning the candle at both ends’.

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

Its website says it has a network of more than 3,000 coaches offering coaching in 60 languages across 70 countries.

Harry’s boss Alexi Robichaux – who was also at yesterday’s event – said at the time of the Duke’s appointment that he hired him because he had been ‘one of the fiercest advocates for mental wellness or mental fitness for many years’.

Prince Harry’s appearance will no doubt draw comparisons to David Brent’s character in the UK’s original The Office played by Ricky Gervais who gives a cringeworthy motivational speech to an audience while the song ‘Simply the Best’ is playing (pictured)
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Prince Harry’s appearance will no doubt draw comparisons to David Brent’s character in the UK’s original The Office played by Ricky Gervais who gives a cringeworthy motivational speech to an audience while the song ‘Simply the Best’ is playing (pictured)

But he added that he was also grateful for the amount of publicity it generated, saying: ‘It’s awesome. I mean, look, we’ll take the press, it certainly helps,’ he said, ‘(but) that’s not the driving motivation here.’

Harry took on the job about two weeks after the Sussexes’ bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The role was one of Harry’s moves into business after he and Meghan stepped back as senior working royals in March 2020 in what was dubbed ‘Megxit’.

The couple, who temporarily relocated to Canada, are now based in a £12million home in Montecito in California with their son Archie and daughter Lilibet.

In August last year it was reported that BetterUp staff had questioned Harry’s role at the company, with some claiming he had become a ‘distraction’.

Staff allegedly turned on the Duke – who reportedly earns a seven-figure salary at the firm– after more than 100 San Francisco-based BetterUp employees were laid off earlier that year.

According to The Daily Beast, the Duke became a ‘target’ for angry BetterUp staff. A former employee said he initially thought Harry’s arrival was ‘cool’.

But they added that staff soon began to find him a distraction with many fearing his ongoing dramas might impact on the company’s reputation.

Mindy Kaling is most well-known for playing Kelly Kapoor in the US version of The Office
The employee said: ‘Every article mentions his role at BetterUp then goes on to roast [him and Meghan Markle]… The juice isn’t worth the squeeze.’

Another alleged that the company treat staff poorly while pushing ‘woke’ credentials.

‘We’re all there because of the same bulls**** story they keep telling us: ‘We’re mission driven, and the mission is going to change the world’,’ said the employee.

Harry’s publicly known work at BetterUp appears to mostly comprise of speaking engagements.