Harry and Meghan sign with A-list agency as they prepare to start public speaking careers

The couple have signed up with an agency that works with Barack Obama and Oprah

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are to pursue careers in public speaking, appearing together and separately. AFP

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.

Since stepping down as senior royals, Harry and Meghan have moved to Los Angeles, with son, Archie. AP Photo

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 1-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.

The arrangement with Harry Walker, owned by media company Endeavor, was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

The speaking circuit can be lucrative for high-profile celebrities. Big-name speakers can earn six figures for a single appearance.

Meghan recently narrated a Disney nature documentary and Harry teamed with Winfrey for an upcoming mental health documentary. Both projects were in the works before they stepped back from the royal family.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, help volunteers as they visit Homeboy Industries. Reuters

Harry and Meghan also have supported charitable causes. On Tuesday, they donned hair nets, aprons and face masks to bake with employees of Homeboy Industries, a Los Angeles-based social justice organisation that hires former prisoners and gang members.