Prince William seemingly trolls Meghan Markle as he rewards powerful job to man who called her a 'bully'
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Prince William has appointed Jason Knauf, the former royal aide who accused Meghan Markle of bullying, as the new CEO of his high-profile Earthshot Prize.
The move is raising royal eyebrows and fueling speculation that William has zero interest in making peace with his brother or sister-in-law, Meghan.
Prince William promotes ex-aide who called Meghan Markle a bully
Jason Knauf was Meghan Markle’s former communications secretary and the whistleblower behind a now-infamous 2018 email that accused her of driving out staff and undermining a palace assistant’s confidence. The allegations resurfaced just days before Meghan and Harry’s Oprah interview in 2021, and the Sussexes saw it as a preemptive character attack.
Now, William is rewarding Knauf with a gig, prompting insiders to tell The Daily Beast, “Jason has proved his loyalty to William and has been rewarded. He was caught in the middle of a very nasty situation with Meghan and he just told the truth. Jason is one of the good guys.”
The accusations that Meghan mistreated palace staff trace back to a 2018 letter written by Knauf, her former communications chief, to his superior, Simon Case, who was working for Prince William at the time. In the letter, Knauf claimed Meghan created a difficult environment, saying two personal assistants ended up leaving, and a third was left feeling demoralized.
He described her behavior as consistently targeting someone, noting, “The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights.”
Knauf, who doubled down on his accusations in a '60 Minutes Australia' interview earlier this year, says he has “no regrets.”
Prince William names Jason Knauf as new CEO of Earthshot Prize
Prince William has announced Jason Knauf as the new CEO of the Earthshot Prize. In a statement released Friday, April 17, the Prince of Wales, 42, praised the progress made by the Prize since its inception in 2020 and expressed optimism for its future under Knauf’s leadership.
“As we look ahead to the future of The Prize and the urgent work needed to scale more inspiring solutions to the world’s greatest challenges, I look forward to working with Jason to chart the course for the next five years of the Earthshot Prize and beyond,” Prince Harry said.
Knauf expressed his enthusiasm for the role, stating, “I am honored to be appointed as the next CEO of The Earthshot Prize and look forward to working with our exceptional team and incredible Earthshot community to advance our mission of urgent optimism for our planet.”
He added that while the Prize has already made significant strides, “the future potential is vast,” and concluded, “I can’t wait to get started.”
