Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are likely to be “infuriated” by Prince William’s decision to hire one of their former royal aides, according to a royal commentator.
Jason Knauf — who raised concerns in a 2018 internal email about how Meghan treated palace staff — has just been appointed CEO of William’s Earthshot Prize.
He has a history with both royal couples, having previously served as CEO of William and Kate’s Royal Foundation and as their communications secretary.
Before that, he also worked as Harry and Meghan’s press secretary when they were still active members of the royal family.
Prince William hires Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s former aide Jason Knauf
Prince William has confirmed that Earthshot Prize CEO Hannah Jones will step down this summer. She’ll be replaced by Jason, who is already joining the team and set to take over her role.
William praised Hannah for building Earthshot into a world-class organization and expressed excitement about shaping the future of the prize with Jason over the next five years.
Hiring of Jason Knauf will ‘infuriate’ Harry and Meghan Markle
Speaking with Fox News Digital, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said: “Prince William’s decision to make Jason Knauf, the former private secretary of the Sussexes, the CEO of his most prestigious project will infuriate Harry and Meghan. It is impossible to avoid feeling that this is precisely what William intended.”
He continued, “[Knauf] undoubtedly has pariah status as far as the Sussexes are concerned. [But] William is clearly showing he doesn’t care about what his brother thinks, much less Meghan.”
Jason Knauf and the Meghan ‘bullying’ scandal
In 2018, royal aide Jason raised concerns about Meghan Markle’s alleged bullying of staff, claiming two aides quit and another’s confidence was shaken. Meghan has denied the allegations.
In a 2024 interview with 60 Minutes Australia, Jason reflected on the public fallout, saying the attention was tough but part of the job. He admitted he wouldn’t have done anything differently, stating, “You’ve got to take everything that comes with it.”
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