Meet Jason Knauf, who accused Meghan Markle of bullying staff: the ex-aide to the British monarchy is a Texas native who became CEO of The Royal Foundation – but why did his allegations meet backlash?

Feb 25 , 2025

Jason Knauf, the American ex-aide to the British monarchy who testified against Meghan Markle, is sharing new details about his life with the royals. Photo: @royalsjetset/Instagram

In an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, Knauf reveals his involvement in the Sussexes’ departure from the royal family, plus intimate details about William’s reaction to Kate’s cancer diagnosis

In the mood for some royal revelations? Former aide to the British monarchy Jason Knauf sat down with 60 Minutes Australia recently, sharing details about how Prince William reacted to the news of his wife Princess Catherine’s cancer diagnosis within a few weeks of learning about his father’s battle with the disease.

William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, during the Trooping the Colour in June 2024. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

Soon after the news came to light, the Prince of Wales had a conversation with Knauf over the phone, which the latter described as “absolutely awful”, recalling, “It’s the lowest I’ve ever seen him,” per People. While the internet erupted with conspiracy theories, Knauf revealed that Kate’s diagnosis was kept private because the couple “were still working through how to tell the children”.

Knauf also spoke about succession plans, Meghan Markle and more … but just who is he?

Jason Knauf’s background

An American, Jason Knauf is a Texas native who mostly grew up in Virginia. Photo: @catherine_of_wales/Instagram

An American, Knauf was born in Texas, and raised in Virginia from the age of five, per Business Insider. He attended the University of Pittsburgh before moving to New Zealand, where he studied at the Victoria University of Wellington. He received a master’s in politics and communication from the London School of Economics.

His years with the British royal family

Jason Knauf was named a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order in 2023. Photo: @kingwilliam.and.queencatherine/Instagram

Knauf worked on the New Zealand political circuit for a while, then at the Royal Bank of Scotland and for His Majesty’s Treasury. He joined the British royal family as a communications secretary in 2015, per Business Insider. He quit working for the Sussexes in 2018, and remained with William and Kate until 2019, per The Standard. He was then appointed CEO of The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess until 2022, and the following year was named a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order. In 2021, he revealed plans to move to India, per Newsweek.

Knauf is now a trustee of the Earthshot Prize, which he helped launch, and per his bio on the organisation’s website, founded his own consultancy firm, Mission Overstory. He’s also involved with Conservation International as a global leadership fellow.

Speaking out against Meghan Markle

Jason Knauf has spoken out against Meghan Markle on several occasions. Photo: @thewalesbrasil/Instagram

Per The Times, Knauf was the one who reported Markle to the palace’s HR department for allegedly bullying staff in 2018. In 2021, he wrote a witness statement in her lawsuit against the Mail on Sunday’s publisher, which claimed she was aware that her infamous letter to her father, Thomas Markle, could be leaked. Knauf also stated that the Sussexes’ biography, Finding Freedom, had been written using information relayed by Meghan Markle – a revelation that embarrassed the royal, who was forced to apologise for misleading the court, per Newsweek.