Who is Jason Knauf? What we know about the controversial former Palace staffer
The first three episodes of Netflix's 'Harry & Meghan' docuseries, which premiered on December 8, shed light on the royal drama, exposed the true cruelty of the media, and profiled the key players behind the palace gates. Chief among them is Jason Knauf - a name that might sound familiar, even if a title doesn't immediately come to mind. But whether you know him or not, Knauf, 38, who became communications secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2015, played an important role in the lives of young members of the royal family. As James Holt, executive director of the Archewell Foundation and former palace spokesperson, explains in the third episode of the docuseries, "For every duke and duchess there is also a communications team. Communications for the royal family are very similar to a press office, press mouthpiece for politicians and businesses, celebrities."
Tim Burt, strategic advisor to Archewell, adds that “These communications teams allow the family to be outside of media relations,” with the overall intention of maintaining control over the narrative. For Harry and Meghan, Knauf was the person spearheading this effort, which, even if they admit, was a huge task. "Our communications team at the time was attached to my brother's office. So in total there was only one person really dedicated to us," Harry says.
Meghan recalls the salacious media frenzy the couple once faced. "I don't think anyone understood what this very small communications team was up against," Meghan said. "They just couldn't understand [that], and I have compassion for that." She goes on to explain how she was guided in all aspects of her relationships and was even told not to invite her own niece, Ashleigh, to her wedding. The goal, it seems, was to minimize any bad press and spread the "good" image.
Knauf was also tasked with helping the royal family write personal letters. However, after Meghan sued Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) for allegedly publishing a "personal and private" letter she wrote to her father, the two appeared to have a tenuous relationship. The British newspaper The Times reported that Knauf was the anonymous employee who...
The first three episodes of Netflix's 'Harry & Meghan' docuseries, which premiered on December 8, shed light on the royal drama, exposed the true cruelty of the media, and profiled the key players behind the palace gates. Chief among them is Jason Knauf - a name that might sound familiar, even if a title doesn't immediately come to mind. But whether you know him or not, Knauf, 38, who became communications secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2015, played an important role in the lives of young members of the royal family. As James Holt, executive director of the Archewell Foundation and former palace spokesperson, explains in the third episode of the docuseries, "For every duke and duchess there is also a communications team. Communications for the royal family are very similar to a press office, press mouthpiece for politicians and businesses, celebrities."
Tim Burt, strategic advisor to Archewell, adds that “These communications teams allow the family to be outside of media relations,” with the overall intention of maintaining control over the narrative. For Harry and Meghan, Knauf was the person spearheading this effort, which, even if they admit, was a huge task. "Our communications team at the time was attached to my brother's office. So in total there was only one person really dedicated to us," Harry says.
Meghan recalls the salacious media frenzy the couple once faced. "I don't think anyone understood what this very small communications team was up against," Meghan said. "They just couldn't understand [that], and I have compassion for that." She goes on to explain how she was guided in all aspects of her relationships and was even told not to invite her own niece, Ashleigh, to her wedding. The goal, it seems, was to minimize any bad press and spread the "good" image.
Knauf was also tasked with helping the royal family write personal letters. However, after Meghan sued Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) for allegedly publishing a "personal and private" letter she wrote to her father, the two appeared to have a tenuous relationship. The British newspaper The Times reported that Knauf was the anonymous employee who...
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