Few are privy to Prince William’s innermost thoughts and emotions, which are seldom shared publicly. However, a former close aide offered a rare insight into the prince’s personal life during a poignant television interview.
Jason Knauf opens up about Prince William
Jason Knauf served as the press secretary for Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, and later Meghan Markle from 2015 to 2019 before assuming the role of CEO at William and Kate’s Royal Foundation. In a recent interview with 60 Minutes Australia, he discussed his conversations with William following Kate and King Charles’ cancer diagnoses and offered insights into his responsibilities as a media manager for the royal family.
‘Discovering that both your spouse and father have cancer within a few weeks is unimaginable,’ Knauf expressed. Recalling a conversation he had with the prince after receiving the news, he shared, ‘It was devastating, truly heartbreaking; it was the darkest moment I had ever witnessed in him. However, the challenge arose when baseless conspiracy theories began circulating online. They refrained from disclosing her cancer diagnosis as they had yet to inform their children and were still contemplating how to break the news to them.’
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Knauf delivers a speech at the Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony 2021.
This is what Jason Knauf revealed about Meghan Markle earlier
Knauf gained prominence for raising concerns about Meghan allegedly mistreating staff in an email, a disclosure initially reported by The Times before her interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. Meghan’s team has consistently refuted these allegations. In his 60 Minutes interview, Jason refrained from elaborating on his time with the Sussexes, simply conveying his best wishes to them and their family.
Nevertheless, he discussed his involvement inthe narrative surrounding the allegations ofbullying and his testimony forThe Mail on Sunday‘s legal case regarding the publication of portions of aletter penned by Meghan to herfather.
‘It’s challenging, but perhaps necessary,’ Knauf acknowledged, reflecting on the scrutiny. ‘Someone who has guided others on managing public attention likely needs to experience it themselves at times. One cannot cherry-pick the enjoyable aspects in any profession.’ He added, ‘I wouldn’t alter a thing. While not what I envisioned, one must embrace the entirety of the responsibilities that come with the role.’
In another anecdote from the interview, Knauf recounted an incident where he mistakenly dropped a paper containing details about the birth of Princess Charlotte outside the hospital before the official announcement was made.
‘We weren’t planning to announce it for a few hours, and I had a note to draft the press release,’ he narrated. ‘Amidst a swarm of journalists, maintaining composure, I suddenly realized that I had misplaced the paper, which I suspect fell on the street… Somewhere out there was a document revealing the birth of a little princess, including the time and weight.’
