A senior royal insider has broken his silence about the rift between Prince William and Prince Harry.
Jason Knauf, who worked as an aide to both brothers, appeared on an episode 60 Minutes Australia, offering up tidbits about the bad blood within the British monarchy.
“We have ups and downs in family,” the former Kensington Palace staffer explained in the pro-Prince WIlliam segment. “Even when you really love someone, you can have times when you don’t want to spend that much time with them.”
He continued: “It’s very difficult to have this stuff play out in the public eye, but (William)’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.”
He added, “But I will say, of course, it’s been hard and sad, especially for all of us who know both of them.”
Knauf, 43, worked as a communications secretary to Prince William and Kate Middleton as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle before moving on to become chief executive of the Duke and Duchess of Wales’ foundation.
The Texas native stepped down from his royal duties at the end of 2021 but remains on the board of trustees for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize. He was made a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (RVO) in the 2023 New Year Honours List.
According to the BBC, he made a bullying complaint against Markle in 2018 and became a central figure in the Duchess of Sussex’s lawsuit against The Mail on Sunday over a private letter she sent her estranged father. In 2021, she won the privacy case against the British newspaper publisher in London’s Court of Appeal when a judge found the publication of a letter to her father was unlawful.
Though considered a betrayer of the runaway royals, Knauf offered positive comments about the California-based couple – who stepped back from their senior royal duties in 2020.
“I’d worked really closely with the two of them and we had lots of great times,” he said. “Working on their wedding was an amazing, magical experience and I wish them absolutely all the best with their lovely family.”
When asked by the outlet if Prince William becoming King of England could factor into a reconciliation, Knauf said: “I can’t speculate on the future. They achieved a lot together and none of that can ever be taken away.
He added, “This may be an extraordinary family that everyone gets to talk about and write about and be interviewed and all of that stuff but at the end of the day, it’s a family.” – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
