A former royal aide has revealed Princess Kate and Prince William prioritised George, Charlotte and Louis before releasing a public statement on Catherine’s cancer diagnosis.
Jason Knauf, who worked closely with the royal couple for seven years, shared that Prince William was left devastated upon learning of the Princess of Wales’s cancer diagnosis and worked out how to tell his children during an interview with 60 Minutes Australia.
Knauf said: “It was awful, absolutely awful. It’s the lowest I’ve ever seen him.”
The royal couple initially kept the cancer diagnosis private while they worked through how to inform their children.
A former royal aide has revealed Princess Kate and Prince William prioritised George, Charlotte and Louis before releasing a public statement on Catherine’s cancer diagnosis
Getty
Knauf explained: “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.”
The situation was particularly challenging as William received news of both his wife’s and father’s cancer diagnoses within weeks of each other.
“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,” Knauf revealed in the documentary, which aired on Sunday.
During this period of privacy, intense speculation emerged online about the Princess’s absence from public duties.
Knauf said: “The problem was that all this crazy conspiracy theory stuff kicked off in the background online.”
The Princess has since shared positive news about being in remission and has begun returning to public engagements while continuing her recovery.
Jason Knauf served as a senior aide to the Prince and Princess of Wales from 2015 to 2021, helping launch significant initiatives including William’s Earthshot environmental awards.
Former royal aide Jason Knauf is set to appear on 60 Minutes Australia to discuss Prince William’s future role as monarch
He initially worked as joint head of communications for both the Sussexes and the Cambridges before becoming chief executive of the Royal Foundation.
During his tenure, Knauf supported 36 foreign trips with William and Kate and helped establish their Heads Together mental health initiative.
Upon leaving the foundation in 2021 to move abroad, Knauf said: “Working for the Prince and Princess of Wales was the honour of a lifetime.”
His insights were shared as part of a new 60 Minutes Australia documentary titled “Where There’s A Will”, which explores Prince William’s future role as King.
