Jason Knauf, a former royal aide, who worked for the Prince and Princess of Wales as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, has given an explosive TV interview

The former royal aide who made a bullying complaint against Meghan Markle has given a bombshell TV interview, and he hasn’t held back.

Jason Knauf worked for both Prince Harry and Meghan as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales during his time at Kensington Palace. The former communications secretary then went on to become chief executive of William and Kate’s Royal Foundation and was also honoured by William for his work in 2023.

And in an extraordinary chat with Australian TV, Mr Knauf, who is still close to Prince William, lifts the lid on life behind palace walls, speaking publicly for the first time about the Meghan bullying allegations as well as the true toll Kate’s cancer diagnosis has had on William. Here we break down his biggest bombshells…

Meghan claims

Mr Knauf hit headlines in 2021 when it emerged he made a bullying complaint against Meghan – emailing his concerns to Prince William’s then-private secretary, in an apparent attempt to force Buckingham Palace to protect staff. Meghan has always strenuously denied the allegations, with her team branding them a “calculated smear campaign”.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at the Invictus Games earlier this month ( 
Image:
WireImage)

And in his new interview with 60 Minutes Australia, he speaks about the media storm for the first time after it emerged he had raised concerns – saying he wouldn’t “change anything”.

He explained: “I think it, it’s tough, but it’s probably quite good. You know someone who has been helping other people through how to deal with the public eye. You probably had to take your own medicine sometimes.

“You can’t choose just to take the fun stuff in any job. And that applies to the Prince and Princess [of Wales] as well as everyone else working for them. So I wouldn’t change anything.” When asked if he had any regrets from his time in the role, he replied: “No, it’s not what I would’ve sought, but you know, at the end of the day, you get to do an amazing job. You’ve got to take everything that comes with it.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Mr Knauf also said he wishes Harry and Meghan “the absolute best” and added: “We had lots of great times, working on their wedding was an amazing magical experience and I wish them absolutely all the best with their lovely family.”

Devastating phone call

Although Mr Knauf no longer works for the Prince and Princess of Wales, he is still a close confidant. And in his interview, he talks about how he received the shock news that Kate had received a cancer diagnosis – and a heartbreaking phone call he had with William.

Mr Knauf recalled a heartbreaking phone call with William about Kate’s cancer diagnosis ( 
Image:
AP)
He revealed: “Within a couple of weeks if you’re Prince William, you find out that both your wife and your father have cancer. I couldn’t believe it.” Describing a devastating phone call with William about Kate’s diagnosis, which was made public in March last year, Mr Knauf said: “It was awful, absolutely awful. It’s the lowest I’ve ever seen him.”

Fears for children

News of Kate’s cancer diagnosis last year came after cruel conspiracy theories ran rife on social media about her whereabouts. And Mr Knauf has now revealed the true toll that this had on the Waleses.

He said: “The problem was that all this crazy conspiracy theory stuff kicked off in the background, online. ‘Was she really ill?’.

William and Kate with their three children George, Charlotte and Louis ( 
Image:
PA)
“But they didn’t want to say yet that she had cancer because they hadn’t told the children and they were still working through how to tell the children.” Mr Knauf said what he used to talk about the ‘most’ in the past with William was “how he and the princess were going to prepare their children for life in the public eye”.

He added: “His childhood in front of the media was quite difficult at times, and he knew that he was going to be raising his kids to deal with social media and mobile phones and all of that stuff.”

Harry rift

As Mr Knauf worked for both William and Harry, he knows both brothers, who are embroiled in a bitter rift, well. And when asked about their estrangement, he described the situation as “hard and sad”.

Warring brothers William and Harry ( 
Image:
POOL/AFP via Getty Images)He explained: “It’s very difficult to have this stuff play out in the public eye, but he’s chosen to keep his thoughts on it private, and I think all of us who know him really have to respect that we should do the same.

“But I will say, of course, it’s been hard and sad, especially for all of us who know both of them.”

Charlotte birth blunder

The interview did contain some lighter moments, with Mr Knauf also revealing how he also committed a major faux pas when it came to announcing the birth of Princess Charlotte in 2015.

As with the arrival of their first baby Prince George in 2013, William and Kate wanted some time alone with their newborn before sharing the news with the world. And while the couple enjoyed their baby bubble, Jason was tasked with drafting the official announcement, which included information on Charlotte’s birth, including her time of birth and weight.

William and Kate with Princess Charlotte shortly after her birth ( 
Image:
PA)But chaos nearly ensued, as Mr Knauf explained: “We weren’t going to announce it for another couple of hours. And I had this piece of paper to go write this press release. I’m still out there with hundreds of journalists trying to have a game face, and then I couldn’t find the piece of paper, and I think I had dropped it somewhere on the street.”

He continued: “Oh my God. Which we managed to get through, but not announce it. But somewhere on that street the entire time was a piece of paper that said there had been a little princess born, what time and how much she weighed. It was one of those things, like, heart in mouth until we got to the announcement, and I got through it.”

When asked if he had ever found the slip, Jason responded: “No, I never found it and neither did any of the media though. So that’s all that really mattered.”

William’s beard

In another cheery moment, Mr Knauf is also asked about a new feature when it comes to William – his beard.

Prince William has been sporting a beard in recent months ( 
Image:
UK Press via Getty Images)
When asked his opinion on the facial hair, he said: “I love it, I think it’s great, but I’ve talked to him about it or tried to talk to him about and he’s like ‘It’s here, I have a beard, no further conversation’.’ When probed whether wife Kate was also a fan, he quickly replied: “If she didn’t like it, it wouldn’t be there. I can tell you that!”

Meanwhile, Mr Knauf was also pressed on what kind of King Prince William would make. He revealed: “The thing I have heard from Prince William is you’re going to do this in your own way. Every generation of the Royal Family has to reinvent the role for the generation that they serve.”

He also revealed that there are no formal lessons on how to do the top job and that “private family conversations, learning by doing” is the key to preparations. When asked if Harry’s role could change once William is King, he cryptically replied: “I can’t speculate on the future. They achieved a lot together and none of that can ever be taken away.

“This may be an extraordinary family that everyone gets to talk about and write about and see, be interviewed and all that sort of stuff. But at the end of the day, it’s a family.”