- Jason Knauf has been at the center of multiple conflicts with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
- He formerly worked as their communications secretary, as well as for Prince William and Kate Middleton.
When Jason Knauf was five years old, he told his mother that he wanted to grow up one day to become president of the United States.
Fast-forward 33 years and the Texas native has made a name for himself working for the British royal family — and becoming a central figure in some of its most recent controversies.
Many first learned about Knauf after the second installment of "Harry & Meghan," Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's new six-part docuseries, premiered on Netflix this month. Knauf's involvement in Meghan's lawsuit against the British tabloids shocked the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and appeared to drive an even bigger wedge between Prince Harry and his brother Prince William.
But how did Knauf make his way to the British royal family in the first place? Well, let us tell you.
Jason Knauf left the US for college
Knauf was born in Texas but moved to Virginia when he was five years old, according to The Courier. He then briefly studied at the University of Pittsburgh before transferring to Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, where he graduated in 2004, according to his LinkedIn profile.
That same year, according to The Courier, Knauf's communications career kicked off. He first worked as a media advisor for Steve Maharey, who was New Zealand's minister for social development at the time, then worked as a speechwriter for Michael Cullen when he was New Zealand's deputy prime minister. Knauf also served as an adviser to former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark.
Knauf then moved to the UK, where he earned a master's degree in politics and communication at the London School of Economics in 2009, according to his LinkedIn.
Knauf began working for the royal family in 2015
Knauf worked for England's treasury department and the Royal Bank of Scotland before making his way to what is known as The Royal Household in 2015. During that time he became the communications secretary for Prince William, Prince Harry, and Kate Middleton. After Prince Harry and Meghan became engaged in November 2017, Knauf began working with the "Suits" star as well, according to Newsweek.
In the lead-up to Prince Harry and Markle's 2018 royal wedding, Knauf was able to give his grandmother behind-the-scenes tours of Windsor Castle — where the couple said "I do" — as well as Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace.
Knauf's mother Joanne told The Courier at the time that he was "so happy that Harry has found someone."
"Meghan is very smart and kind, as is Harry," she added. "There are some 60,000 media that have descended on the small private town of Windsor. I cannot imagine the tiny streets full of all of these people. On the morning shows, you will see stages erected all around the castle — a lot of it has been under Jason's direction."
"Jason is so honored as an American to have this position and it is quite unusual to have an American at this height [with] the royal family," she added.
Knauf cuts ties with Harry and Meghan — but stays with Kate and William
In February 2019, it was announced that Prince Harry and Prince William would split their royal households. The split came shortly before Harry and Meghan left Kensington Palace — where William and Kate were living at the time — for Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Castle estate.
The split also meant Harry and William would have separate communications teams. According to his LinkedIn profile, Knauf continued working with William and Kate and served as their senior advisor from March to September 2019. He was named CEO of The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess — the couple's charity organization — in September 2019, a position he held until this January.
Knauf first made headlines in 2021, on the eve of Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah Winfrey
Just days before Harry and Meghan's bombshell interview was set to air, Buckingham Palace announced it was investigating claims that Meghan bullied members of her staff in 2018.
"We are clearly very concerned about allegations in The Times following claims made by former staff of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex," the palace said in a statement obtained by Insider at the time.
The investigation was launched after The Times of London reported that Knauf had filed an official complaint about Meghan to the palace's HR department in October 2018. Buckingham Palace's statement did not mention that any of the bullying allegations involved current members of Prince William's staff.
A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex denied the claims to The Times, calling it a "calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful information."
"It's no coincidence that distorted several-year-old accusations aimed at undermining The Duchess are being briefed to the British media shortly before she and The Duke are due to speak openly and honestly about their experience of recent years," the spokesperson said. "The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself."
During the interview with Oprah, which aired in March 2021, both Harry and Meghan said they were silenced by the royal family and weren't allowed to defend themselves or speak out against false stories in the press — including one that claimed Meghan made Kate cry over a flower-girl dress (Meghan told Oprah it was actually Kate who had brought her to tears).
"It was only once we were married and everything started to really worsen that I came to understand that not only was I not being protected, but that they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family," Meghan said during the interview. "They weren't willing to tell the truth to protect me and my husband."
In June 2022, Buckingham Palace announced it would not publish the findings of its investigation into the bullying allegations "to protect the privacy of those who took part."
Sources told Us Weekly that Meghan and Harry were disappointed the results from the inquiry wouldn't be made public.
"Meghan is a fair boss and never bullied anyone who worked for her at the Palace in the first place," one of the sources said. "She's happy that her name has been cleared from the defamatory claims."
Knauf found himself in the headlines again this month after new episodes of 'Harry & Meghan' dropped
In episode six of "Harry & Meghan," the couple discuss Meghan's lawsuit against Associated Newspapers for publishing a private letter she wrote to her father.
Meghan won the initial case, but Associated Newspapers appealed. During the appeal, Knauf voluntarily provided a witness statement that included a text message Meghan sent him regarding a draft of the letter. In the text, Meghan told Knauf she knew there was a possibility the letter could be leaked and asked for his advice. Associated Newspapers' legal team tried to use the texts as evidence that Meghan expected the letter to her father would become public.
Jenny Afia, the couple's lawyer in the case, said during the docuseries that there was no way Knauf could have provided a witness statement in the case "without the authority of his bosses," clearly referring to Prince William.
In another scene, Meghan and Mandana Dayani, the couple's friend, discussed how the tabloids were presenting Knauf as a former aide of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex rather than a current employee of William and Kate.
"It's your brother. I'm not gonna say anything about your brother, but it's so obvious," Meghan tells Harry in the scene.
"It's even more obvious that they'll try to cover that up," Harry agreed. "Again, 'Jason, the former aide of Meghan and Harry,' as opposed to ..."
"That's what I keep saying! Why are we talking about him as her former aide and not as the person who works for your brother?" Dayani replied.
"That's why I'm now living in a different country," Harry responded. "Because all the comms teams basically, like, try to outdo each other, but this is the contract. The symbiotic relationship between the two institutions working the best that they can."
Meghan ultimately won the appeal in December 2021.
The end of the episode included a statement from Knauf's lawyer regarding his witness statement being voluntary: "These claims are entirely false. Mr. Knauf was asked to provide evidence by both the Duchess of Sussex and Associated Newspapers," the statement read. "He was advised by counsel that evidence in his possession could be relevant and he then provided this directly to the court, staying neutral in the process."
Another screen card included a statement from Meghan's lawyer on the matter: "The legal team for Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, disputes this claim. Mr. Knauf was not asked to provide a witness statement by the duchess or her team," the statement read. "Nor do her attorneys believe Mr. Knauf remained 'neutral' by submitting a witness statement relied on by Associated Newspapers whilst working for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge."
While the royal family has yet to make any public statements regarding Harry and Meghan's new documentary, there are reports that Prince William has since cut off all contact with his brother.
As for Knauf, he continues to work for Prince William. In July it was announced that he would serve as a board member for the Earthshot Prize, William's global-environmental initiative.
"I always told the kids they can be whatever they want to be, they just can't be the King of England," Knauf's mother Joanne told The Courier in 2018. "I think he got as close as you can get."
"He was really shocked when Diana died, he always said the media needed controlling," she added. "And I think he is in a position now to make a difference."