Jason Knauf, the former advisor to the British Royal Family who rocked the press with his accusations against Meghan Markle, has just been appointed CEO of the Earthshot Prize, the ambitious environmental project sponsored by Prince William.
The news was made official this Thursday, when the prize’s board of directors announced that Knauf will take the reins of the project following the departure of Hannah Jones, who led the organization for the past four years.
Prince William, spared no praise for the new director:
“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.”
Who Is Jason Knauf? The New CEO of the Earthshot Prize
Knauf’s name is familiar for another reason. In 2018, when he was working as communications secretary to William, Kate, Harry and Meghan, he drafted a formal complaint addressed to William’s private secretary, Simon Case.
In that document, he expressed concern about the Duchess of Sussex’s behavior with some staff members.
According to The Times of London, Knauf wrote: “I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X was totally unacceptable.”
Knauf added: “The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights.” He continued: “She is bullying Y and seeking to undermine her confidence. We have had report after report from people who have witnessed unacceptable behavior towards Y.” He closed with the sentence, “I remain concerned that nothing will be done.”
The allegations came to light in 2021, just before Meghan’s media interview with Oprah Winfrey. While many questioned the timing of the leak, Knauf defended his decision without hesitation.
In February of this year, during an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, he said he has no regrets.
“I wouldn’t change anything.” And he explained: “Someone who is helping other people how to deal with the public eye… you probably have to take your own medicine sometimes.” He also added: “You can’t choose just to take the fun stuff in any job, and that applies to the prince and princess as well as everyone else working for them.”
Despite the conflict with Meghan and Harry, Knauf has remained closely associated with William.
He was CEO of the Royal Foundation between 2019 and 2022, and has since worked alongside the Earthshot Prize board.
His time at the foundation and his track record as a confidant to the heir to the British throne put him in a key position to lead one of the prince’s most important projects.
Texas-born Knauf began working with the royal family in 2015. He even attended Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018, when he was still part of the communications team of the then four most media-rich royals. Since then, her figure has moved from the shadows to the headlines.
Now, at the helm of the Earthshot Prize, Jason Knauf is back in the spotlight.