Prince Harry ‘is in talks with US banking giant Goldman Sachs’

Prince Harry is understood to have held talks with investment bank Goldman Sachs as he and Meghan build the ‘Sussex Royal’ brand that experts believe could be worth £1billion in a decade.

The Duke of Sussex is said to have discussed following in the footsteps of David Beckham and Gwyneth Paltrow by speaking at one of the Talks at GS events.

His team is said to have spoken to the American global banking giant in November – when the couple were holed up in a Vancouver mansion with Archie and decided they would be quitting as senior royals.

Stars are not paid a fee for a Talks at GS appearance – but sources have told the Daily Mirror that it will ‘ pave the way for the Sussexes to forge a lucrative future relationship’ with the bank.

Renowned PR agent Mark Borkowski has said these deals will still bring riches in the US, adding: ‘They’re going to earn fortunes, whether through speeches or ambassador work – these are £1billion handshakes’. 

A tie-up could help them earn millions in the corporate world – but one with GS would be controversial after it was accused of playing a role in the 2008 financial crash – and then making billions of dollars at the expense of its clients during and afterwards.

Goldman Sachs declined to comment today. Harry and Meghan’s team at Kensington Palace has not responded. 

It came a week after the couple made their first private appearance since quitting as royals – at a conference for the world’s biggest bank, JP Morgan, in Florida.

The couple has refused to confirm whether they pocketed a fee to attend the event thrown by JPMorgan in Miami, where they rubbed shoulders with some of America’s richest men and women.

The Sussexes also reportedly flew in on the firm’s private jet from Vancouver, despite repeatedly calling for the world to embrace more environmentally-friendly ways to travel 

Harry gave a speech at the luxury 1 Hotel in Miami’s South Beach, watched by his wife, to an audience packed with US billionaires and luminaries, including former basketball star Magic Johnson.

The prince talked about how he had been ‘in therapy’ for the last three years over the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

The private JPMorgan Wealth Conference ‘Alternative Investment Summit’ was this year focused on building ‘black wealth’, investing in urban America and education.

Buckingham Palace was clearly caught by surprise at the news of the couple’s attendance and was unable to confirm whether they had been paid for their appearance, despite repeated requests.

It also declined to comment on reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – who are still officially classed as senior working royals until the spring – were flown to Miami in JPMorgan’s private jet.

Flight trackers show that it took off from Vancouver Airport, the nearest international terminal to the couple’s borrowed Vancouver Island mansion, at lunch time on Wednesday and landed in Palm Beach later that evening. There was no record of its return yesterday.

Harry and Meghan have been previously criticised for their jet-set lifestyle and frequent use of private planes despite preaching a green message.

A London-based spokesman for the couple simply confirmed: ‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a JP Morgan gathering in Miami yesterday where The Duke spoke.’

A spokesman for JPMorgan Chase – the world’s biggest bank, with a market capitalisation of £335 billion – also refused to comment.

However, according to a report in the New York Post’s Page Six gossip column, Harry appeared on stage with his wife and her close friend Gayle King, a high-profile US television presenter who attended her controversial baby shower in New York last year.

A source told the newspaper that Harry ‘emotionally opened up to the wealthy crowd about the childhood trauma of losing his beloved mother in 1997’.

Miss King also introduced Meghan, who said a few words about her love for her husband, before introducing Harry, according to the source.

The source added: ‘Harry spoke about mental health and how he has been in therapy for the past few years to try to overcome the trauma of losing his mother.

‘He talked about how the events of his childhood affected him and that he has been talking to a mental health professional.’

The source told the newspaper that the Queen’s grandson even spoke about his and Meghan’s decision to quit as royals, something that the Royal Family have tried not to discuss publicly since it was formally announced last month.

The couple joined 425 guests at the summit in a sprawling tent in the grounds of the five-star 1 Hotel in Miami’s South Beach (pictured)

The paper reported: ‘Harry also touched on Megxit, saying while it has been very difficult on him and Meghan, he does not regret their decision to step down as senior royals because he wants to protect his family. He does not want Meghan and their son Archie to go through what he did as a child.’ 

Last month the Queen was left deeply hurt by her grandson’s decision to publicly announce that he and his wife were stepping down as senior royals and moving to North American without consulting her first.

The 93-year-old monarch, Prince Charles and Prince William were all forced to watch the news break on television and online.

Although they were aware of Harry’s desire, they had hoped to be able to sort out an amicable solution with him privately first and were said to be privately horrified about his demands to retain his HRH title and still undertake official duties on behalf of the Queen, while being free to pursue commercial opportunities.

Harry, pictured at a charity event in London last month, spoke of his battle with mental health at the summit in Miami on Thursday

The monarch called a summit at Sandringham days later and it was agreed that the couple could step down as long as they relinquished the use of their HRH titles for work-related purposes and gave up their official duties and patronages on behalf of the Queen.

Harry and Meghan insisted they wanted to keep their Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage, and agreed to pay back the £2.4 million of taxpayers money used to refurbish it. But they are continuing to receive money privately from the Prince of Wales.

Further details of their ‘exit package’ are being ironed out during a ‘transition period’ which will should be concluded by the spring.

Harry is expected to return to the UK to undertake a handful of engagements but aides do not expect to see Meghan for some time.