Jason Knauf, the former royal aide at the heart of Meghan Markle bullying claims, has spoken out.
Knauf, who served as communications secretary for both Prince Harry and Meghan as well as William and Kate at Kensington Palace, had emailed Prince William’s then-private secretary in 2018 with allegations of bullying against Meghan – allegations she has vehemently denied, dismissing them through her team as a “calculated smear campaign”.
Breaking his silence during an interview on Australian programme 60 Minutes, Mr Knauf said he would not have done anything differently and stressed the importance of accepting both the good and the challenging aspects of any role: “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.”
He went on to express no regrets about his tenure, acknowledging the value of the overall experience: “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.”
In the interview, Mr Knauf expressed his best wishes for Harry and Meghan, saying: “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.”
He also recalled a time when he claimed to have raised concerns about Meghan’s behaviour in an email to Simon Case, reports the Mirror, William’s then-private secretary: “I am very concerned that the Duchess [Meghan] was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X [name removed] was totally unacceptable.”
He added: “The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying Y [name removed] and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behaviour towards Y [name removed].”
Meghan’s legal team has dismissed these allegations as part of a “calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation”. Buckingham Palace initiated an internal review into the claims, which remains undisclosed.
Mr Knauf also shared insights into Prince William’s state of mind following Kate’s cancer diagnosis, with his father King Charles going through his own health issues.
With Kate now in remission and Charles undergoing continuous treatment, Mr Knauf described a particularly poignant phone call with William about Kate’s condition, made public in March the previous year: “It was awful, absolutely awful. It’s the lowest I’ve ever seen him.”
Mr Knauf, a former corporate affairs executive, was appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (RVO) in the 2023 New Year Honours List and received his award from William. Before joining the royal household, he held roles in various institutions, including the New Zealand prime minister’s office, HM Treasury, and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Mr Knauf led a review of the Royal Foundation’s role and structure from March 2019 and became its chief executive in September of that year. He oversaw the launch of the Earthshot Prize, William’s £50 million environmental initiative, which is now an independent charity that recognises solutions, ideas, and technologies that can “repair the planet”.