A leading Commonwealth charity which has the Queen as its patron is promoting the online coaching business which employs Prince Harry as impact director.

The coaching, by BetterUp, is described as “truly phenomenal” in a user testimonial on the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (QCT) website. Prince Harry was previously chairman of the trust.

As Harry stepped back from royal duties in February last year, the partnership reveals how his royal connections still come in handy as he forges a new career in the United States.

A branding expert said the endorsement was valuable publicity for the startup, which is now valued at $4.7bn (£3.5bn) and is described as ‘the biggest business in mental health and coaching in the world”.

Charity officials said last week that the charity partnership was one of several deals struck with organizations to provide support to young social entrepreneurs across the Commonwealth. Around 1,000 young leaders are said to have been offered free coaching under the deal and the charity says on its website that it will “expand” the collaboration more widely this year.

David Haigh, chief executive of London-based consultancy Brand Finance, said: “Any business backed by the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust will gain credibility, and that will have economic value.” He said a due diligence process would have been necessary to ensure the charity partnership with a US startup was appropriate.

The trust’s partnership with the company, under which young leaders have free access to the coaching platform, is prominently displayed on the charity’s website. A testimonial from one of the young leaders who benefited from the coaching says, “The 3 staff members who signed up were all completely blown away by how much we are learning and growing.”

BetterUp said in a blog post on its website last year that it was working with the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, but the exact terms of the arrangement, the duration of the partnership and the number of people who will benefit from it have not been announced. not been disclosed. The initiative is part of a “1% Pledge” movement, in which the firm donates 1% of its coaching to local authorities.

Chris Kelly, chief executive of QCT, said in a press release on the charity’s website: “Working with BetterUp will make a huge difference for us. The collaboration with BetterUp means [the charity] can add this to the support program we offer our young leaders. »

The QCT was launched on April 21, 2018, funded by money from the defunct Queen’s Trust and Diamond Jubilee Trust. An inaugural statement read: “Our mission is simple. We champion, fund and connect young leaders who are working hard to change the world. »

Harry was named president and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, became vice-president the following year. The couple stepped down from those positions in February 2021 when it was confirmed by Buckingham Palace that they would no longer be working members of the Royal Family.

Charity accounts show QCT raised £796,106 in the financial year ending March 2021, while paying staff costs of £787,314, including nearly £420,000 to its five most senior executives. He has had difficulty raising funds during the pandemic and hopes to increase his number of financial supporters. The charity is headquartered in London and model Naomi Campbell joined last year as a global ambassador.

Harry joined BetterUp in March last year. The San Francisco-based company was founded in 2013 and is a mobile platform offering employee coaching. The cost of individual subscriptions is not advertised on the website, but is said to be between $249 and $499 per month.

The charity said: “QCT is fortunate to benefit from several charitable business partnerships, all of which, through in-kind donations, enable the charity to enhance the support it provides. to young social entrepreneurs across the Commonwealth.

“One of the charitable partnerships QCT is grateful to have is with BetterUp, a collaboration that came about thanks to BetterUp’s Director of Impact, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, QCT’s former chairman , who remains a friend of the charity All in-kind donations are published in the association’s annual report and accounts.

BetterUp said, “Our collaboration with QCT includes offering 1,000 young leaders free access to BetterUp’s comprehensive coaching platform, so they are better prepared for the pressures of becoming an entrepreneur and their creative ideas can become reality.