Harry and Meghan to hit the speaking circuit

LOS ANGELES — Prince Harry and wife Meghan are ready to hit the speakers’ circuit after signing with an agency that works with former US President Obama and other high-profile clients, according to a person familiar with their plans. The pair is being represented by the New York-based Harry Walker Agency, whose roster of speakers includes Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Oprah Winfrey, the person said on Wednesday. The move is one of the first major steps by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to engage in paid work beyond the British royal family after they announced plans in January to lead a more independent life and to finance it themselves. They now live in Los Angeles with their one-year-old son Archie, according to media reports. The couple’s speaking engagements will focus on issues such as racial justice, gender equity, the environment, and mental health, an important topic to Prince Harry who has talked publicly about his struggles with grief following the death of his mother, Princess Diana. The pair will speak together and individually, the person familiar with their plans said. — Reuters