Prince Harry was asked his occupation on a celebrity podcast and did not mention his work producing television projects for Netflix.
The Duke of Sussex was a guest on an episode of former England rugby player and Celebrity Traitors contestant Joe Marler’s show, released on Monday.
During the Joe Marler Will See You Now podcast, Harry was asked his occupation and replied: “Full-time dad, British Army veteran, Prince of England. Duke. But for today… I don’t know. What do you want? Duke.”
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Newsweek understands the comment was made off the cuff and reflected the light-hearted tone of the podcast.
Why It Matters
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s move to America was followed by multiyear deals with Netflix and Spotify in 2020 and a series of high-profile media projects and appearances, including their 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview.
However, in recent months, Harry has recently spent more time publicly discussing Britain and making appearances there, while his public comments about America have focused more on his negative views of Donald Trump’s administration.
How Prince Harry’s Answer Compares to His Projects
Harry chose to highlight four areas of his life: his status as a father, his ten years in the British Army, which ended in 2015, the role, as prince, that he was given at birth and the title, Duke of Sussex, that he was given by Queen Elizabeth II when he married his wife Meghan.
All four roles predated his 2020 departure from royal duties and his move to North America, meaning his answer did not reference any of the professional ventures he has pursued since.
Harry did not host a Spotify podcast of his own but he has made several shows for Netflix, including the couple’s biopic, Harry & Meghan, Heart of Invictus, a documentary about his Invictus Games adaptive sports tournament, and Polo, a show about the equestrian sport he played as a royal.
The Sussexes also have films in production. Some may be more in Meghan’s wheelhouse, such as their adaptation of romance novel Meet Me at the Lake, by author Carley Fortune, who told Today in June it was the duchess who had a long conversation with her about the project.
A separate adaptation of No Way Out, adapted from a memoir about British military heroism during the Afghanistan War, by Major Adam Jowett, is very much Harry’s terrain.
Yet when given the opportunity to describe himself, Harry chose to highlight aspects of his life that predated his departure from royal duties rather than his more recent media ventures.
In addition to his role in the U.S. media, Harry also runs the Archewell Foundation alongside Meghan and they have recently campaigned to raise awareness of the harms caused by social media.
Prince Harry’s Four Listed Occupations
The duke became a father on May 6, 2019, when Meghan gave birth to their first child Prince Archie, who accompanied them on a royal tour to South Africa that Fall, arriving home in early October.
They left Britain for Canada in November and returned to Britain only to negotiate their royal exit and complete final royal engagements in 2020. They moved to America in March. Archie became an older brother in June 2021 when Meghan gave birth to Princess Lilibet, the couple’s daughter.
Prince Harry began his army career at Sandhurst Military Academy in May 2005 and completed two tours of Afghanistan in 2007 and 2013 before leaving in 2015 after a decade.
It was one of the defining experiences of his life and he has continued his connection to the military community in the years since, including through his Invictus Games tournament, which he was on Marler’s show to promote.
Harry was born a prince and has described the title as an occupation before in official filings at Britain’s Companies House for his since disbanded Sussex Royal foundation, which listed him in paperwork seen by Newsweek as a “Prince of the United Kingdom.” However, that filing dates to July 2019, when he was still a working royal. He described his occupation in similar terms on Prince Archie’s birth certificate.
Harry became Duke of Sussex when he married Meghan in May 2018, when she became Duchess of Sussex. The title was given by Queen Elizabeth II. It is an aristocratic title rather than an occupation.
Britain is home to many dukes and duchesses, many of whom are not royal family members They do a variety of different occupations while some do not work at all. It is also how Marler referred to Harry in the episode, at one stage chanting the word “duke” repeatedly.
Analysis
Prince Harry’s answer focused on his personal identity, background and status rather than any current professional role.
None of those explanations are untrue and those roles need not be diminished. However, he does have a job that he did not list as a TV producer for Netflix.
The answer may offer some insight into how Harry chose to present himself in that moment, emphasizing family, military service and royal status over his media work.
The question also presented an opportunity to mention the film project he is developing through Archewell Productions, which was linked to the purpose of his podcast appearance which was to promote the Invictus Games.
Harry conducted the interview while in Britain to mark the one year count down to the 2027 games, to be hosted in Birmingham, England.
The prince was joined on the podcast by JJ Chalmers, an Invictus Games medalist, who was injured in a bomb blast in Afghanistan in 2011, and who told Marler the tournament was “born in ward 412 of Birmingham Hospital.”
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham’s major trauma unit is where many British soldiers injured in Afghanistan were treated. Chalmers said the Afghanistan War “ultimately started the Invictus Games.”
The feature film Harry’s making also tells the story of British forces holding out against the odds while under siege at Musa Qala, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in 2006.
Either way, when asked to describe his occupation, Harry highlighted aspects of his identity formed before his departure from royal duties rather than the professional projects that have occupied much of his post-royal life.
The comment comes amid a period in which Harry has spoken frequently about Britain and spent significant time there in connection with Invictus Games events and legal battles.
In November, he wrote an essay on his love of Britain, writing: “Though currently, I may live in the United States, Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for.”