Jason Knauf, a former royal aide, shared that Prince William was at his “lowest” after learning both Kate Middleton and King Charles had been diagnosed with cancer.
Knauf, who worked closely with William and Kate from 2015 to 2021, revealed this insight in a 60 Minutes Australia documentary. William later described 2024 as a “brutal” year, calling it the hardest of his life.
As Kate Middleton stepped away from the public eye, wild conspiracy theories about her whereabouts quickly spread across social media.
In the documentary, Jason recalled how Prince William was at his lowest point after receiving the devastating news about Kate’s illness during a private phone call.
“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. It was awful, absolutely awful. It’s the lowest I’ve ever seen him,” he shared.
He also noted that the situation was made even worse by the wave of bizarre online conspiracy theories. “But the problem was that all this crazy conspiracy theory stuff kicked off in the background online,” he added.
In the documentary released on Sunday, a royal aide shared insights into past events surrounding the royal family, including concerns about an undisclosed illness and a near mishap during the announcement of Princess Charlotte’s birth in 2015.
Reflecting on the uncertainty surrounding an unnamed individual’s health, the aide recounted, “Was she really ill? 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.”
Elsewhere in the documentary, he revealed how a significant slip-up nearly caused the early release of Princess Charlotte’s birth announcement.
According to the aide, Kate and William had informed him of their daughter’s arrival very early—before even some family members were aware. However, the news almost leaked two hours ahead of schedule when he realized he had “dropped” the press release somewhere on the street.
The document contained crucial details, including the time of birth and Charlotte’s weight. Fortunately, none of the media outlets discovered it, allowing the official announcement to proceed as planned.
Recalling the moment, Jason shared, “We weren’t going to announce it for another couple 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 recalled, “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. I never found it and neither did any of the media though. So that’s all that really mattered.”
The 60 Minutes documentary, Where There’s A Will, features insights from journalists and royal aides, offering a closer look at the future King of England and the kind of leader he is expected to become.
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Jason Knauf initially served as the joint head of communications for both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton.
He later stepped down after making serious accusations against Meghan, alleging that she had bullied junior staff members.
Following his departure from that role, Knauf transitioned into a special adviser position for William and Kate before becoming the chief executive of the Royal Foundation, the charitable organization supporting their official work.
During his tenure, he played a key role in launching major initiatives, including Prince William’s Earthshot environmental awards and the couple’s Heads Together mental health campaign. Additionally, he accompanied them on 36 overseas trips.
Knauf left the foundation in 2021 to relocate abroad.
Mr. Knauf previously stated, “Working for the Prince and Princess of Wales was the honour of a lifetime. Receiving this recognition means more to me than I can say. I am incredibly grateful.”
Meanwhile, the Duchess has consistently denied the bullying allegations, dismissing them as part of a “orchestrated smear campaign” against her.
In their 2022 Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, the Sussexes once again expressed their strong opposition to Mr. Knauf. Meghan’s lawyer even implied that Prince William may have authorized him to come forward.
Mr. Knauf, however, maintained that he acted as a neutral witness and did not seek approval from the Royal Household before speaking out.