William and Harry’s Former Confidant Is “So Sad” About The Princes’ Family Rift

In 2021, Jason Knauf, a onetime communications staffer at Kensington Palace under Prince William and Prince Harry, came forward with allegations that Meghan Markle had bullied two palace staffers, leading to an investigation into “bullying” during the duchess’s time as a working royal. (Meghan denied the allegations.) In an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, which aired on Sunday, Knauf expressed sadness at the rift between the two brothers that allegedly started soon after Harry began dating Meghan.

“Back when they were teenagers and the best of mates, the two of them were practical jokers. They were a team, where they used to wind each other up,” the former staffer said. “It was like that all the time. That’s why it’s so sad—how that’s completely changed. It’s extraordinary how much it could change.”

Knauf worked as the head of communications for Harry, William, and Kate Middleton from 2015 to 2019, advising Meghan on her media and security when she started dating Harry, and eventually guiding them through their 2018 wedding. In the interview, Knauf said he wanted to respect William’s decision to keep his feelings about the falling out private. “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,” the former aide said. “I think all of us who know him really have to respect that we should do the same.”

After leaving his palace role, Knauf went on to become the head of Kate and William’s Royal Foundation, a role he held until the end of 2021. In 2023, he was made a member of the Royal Victorian Order, an honor bestowed on employees for loyal service. After making his allegations against Meghan public, Knauf received an onslaught of criticism from supporters of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. In Netflix’s Harry & Meghan docuseries, Meghan’s lawyer, Jenny Afia, said she believed Knauf was briefing the press against her client during her legal battle with Associated Newspapers. (At the time, Knauf told the filmmakers that he tried to stay “neutral” in the case.)

Knauf told 60 Minutes that he didn’t regret any part of the job, despite the public fallout. “As someone who has been helping other people through how to deal with the public eye, it’s…. You probably have to take your own medicine sometimes, you can’t choose just to take the fun stuff in any job. That applies to the [Prince and Princess of Wales], as well as everyone else working for them, so I wouldn’t change anything,” he said. “At the end of the day, you get to do an amazing job. You’ve got to take everything that comes with it.”