Prince Harry sat in a box at the Los Angeles FC stadium next to a Hollywood venture capitalist, who is believed to be helping the Sussexes with their major rebrand.
The Duke of Sussex was one of the familiar faces at BMO Stadium on Sunday, looking animated alongside Adam Lilling as they watched Inter Miami beat LAFC 3-1.
Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have reportedly been working with Mr Lilling for months after they were reportedly introduced by mutual friend Ellen DeGeneres.
Mr. Lilling, who has also worked with Matthew McConaughey and Nicole Kidman, has become known for making millions of dollars for celebrities and influencers.
His involvement with the Sussexes came to the fore in February after they were seen among the guests along with Mr. Lilling when DeGeneres renewed her wedding vows with wife Portia de Rossi in California in January, under the direction of the couple’s close friend, Kris Jenner.
Prince Harry (left) sits next to Hollywood venture capitalist Adam Lilling (right) in a box at BMO Stadium as he watches Los Angeles FC play against Inter Miami in a football game on Sunday
The Duke of Sussex looks animated alongside Adam Lilling as they watch LAFC on Sunday night
Sitting directly behind Prince Harry during the match was actress and LAFC superfan Connie Britton, the 56-year-old star of Spin City, Friday Night Lights and most recently The White Lotus
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Mr. Lilling’s business career began in 1994 when he founded Pentagon CDs & Tapes, one of the first online music and video retailers.
He sold the pioneering company to Virgin Entertainment Group in 1999.
In 2004, Mr. Lilling founded BiggerBoat, an entertainment-focused search engine that aimed to provide users with a specialized way to find producers and artists.
He then co-founded the LaunchpadLA mentoring program in 2009 and in 2012 started Plus Capital, a venture capital investment and advisory firm based in Venice, California.
Plus Capital describes itself as having a “mission to bring together the best influencers in the world – those who can one day bring about more change than most in a lifetime – with the best entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs in the world.”
The company is also an investor in BetterUp, a coaching and mental health company where Harry serves as chief impact officer.
Mr. Lilling’s involvement with Harry and Meghan was first revealed by Page six in February, which quoted a source as saying the venture capitalist “has worked forever with Ellen, as well as Matthew McConaughey and a bunch of A-listers.”
Adam Lilling is a Hollywood venture capitalist who previously managed Pentagon CDs & Tapes
Adam Lilling’s Plus Capital helped broker a deal between Salesforce and Matthew McConaughey
Plus Capital also worked on a deal between vegan hair brand Vegamour and Nicole Kidman
Last year, Mr. Lilling and his business partner Amanda Groves were named among The Hollywood Reporter’s “top dealmakers of 2022.”
The publication reported that Plus Capital had completed more than 250 deals, including “Pachama with Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Salesforce with Matthew McConaughey, and Vegamour with Nicole Kidman.”
Mr Lilling and Ms Groves also said their favorite podcast of the year was Meghan’s Spotify series Archetypes, while Mr Lilling has been promoting the Sussexes on his social media.
The couple’s deal with Spotify ended in June after just one season of Archetypes, but they still have an £80 million deal with Netflix, which unveiled new series Heart of Invictus last week.
On Sunday, Harry was one of the big names to attend the game, alongside Hollywood icons such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Will Ferrell and sports legends such as basketball players Magic Johnson and LeBron James.
Also in attendance were actors Gerard Butler, Tom Holland, Toby Maguire, Ed Norton, Selena Gomez and Owen Wilson. Musicians included Liam Gallagher, Nas and Rage Against the Machine.
Directly behind Harry was actress and LAFC superfan Connie Britton, the 56-year-old star of Spin City, Friday Night Lights and most recently The White Lotus.
Most of the big stars had their job titles listed, but Harry and Meghan had nothing with their names
Harry and Meghan at the Ms Foundation Women of Vision Awards in New York City on May 16
Harry, who also attended a Beyonce concert in LA with his wife this weekend, was never known as a football fan when he lived in Britain. He supported Arsenal but admitted he preferred rugby.
The Duke will make a rare trip back to Britain this Thursday to attend London’s annual WellChild Awards, a charity of which he remains a patron.
There are no plans for him to meet his father or brother Prince William, who will work despite Friday being the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
Harry will also be attending the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf from Saturday, with Meghan expected to fly over from California to accompany him throughout the competition.
Inter Miami are undefeated since Lionel Messi joined the club in mid-July.
They impressed Harry and others in Sunday’s game with victory against the defending MLS Cup champions.
Messi had two assists in the 3-1 win. Facundo Farias, Jordi Alba and Leonardo Campana scored for Miami, while Ryan Hollingshead scored for LAFC. Miami’s visit to Los Angeles was seen by 22,921 fans, a record for LAFC’s BMO Stadium.
According to TickPick, the average purchase price for the game was $717, which was 515 percent more than the $110 before Messi signed. By comparison, Beyonce’s concert at SoFi Stadium had an average purchase price of $493.