\n<\/p>\n
In 2021, Jason Knauf,<\/strong> a onetime communications staffer at Kensington Palace under Prince William<\/strong>\u00a0 and Prince Harry,<\/strong> came forward with allegations<\/a> that Meghan Markle<\/strong> had bullied two palace staffers, leading to an investigation<\/a> into \u201cbullying\u201d during the duchess\u2019s time as a working royal. (Meghan denied the allegations.) In an interview<\/a> with 60 Minutes Australia,<\/em> which aired on Sunday, Knauf expressed sadness at the rift<\/a> between the two brothers that allegedly started soon after Harry began dating Meghan<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cBack when they were teenagers and the best of mates, the two of them were practical jokers. They were a team, where they used to wind each other up,\u201d the former staffer said. \u201cIt was like that all the time. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so sad\u2014how that\u2019s completely changed. It\u2019s extraordinary how much it could change.\u201d<\/p>\n Knauf worked as the head of communications for Harry, William, and Kate Middleton<\/strong> from 2015 to 2019, advising Meghan on her media and security when she started dating Harry, and eventually guiding them through their 2018 wedding. In the interview, Knauf said he wanted to respect William\u2019s decision to keep his feelings about the falling out private. \u201cIt\u2019s very difficult to have this stuff play out in the public eye, but he\u2019s chosen to keep his thoughts on it private,\u201d the former aide said. \u201cI think all of us who know him really have to respect that we should do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n After leaving his palace role, Knauf went on to become the head of Kate and William\u2019s Royal Foundation<\/a>, a role he held until the end of 2021. In 2023, he was made a member of the Royal Victorian Order, an honor bestowed on employees for loyal service. After making his allegations against Meghan public, Knauf received an onslaught of criticism from supporters of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. In Netflix\u2019s Harry & Meghan<\/em> docuseries, Meghan\u2019s lawyer, Jenny Afia,<\/strong> said<\/a> she believed Knauf was briefing the press against her client during her legal battle with Associated Newspapers.\u00a0(At the time, Knauf told the filmmakers that he tried to stay \u201cneutral\u201d in the case.)<\/p>\n Knauf told 60 Minutes<\/em> that he didn\u2019t regret any part of the job, despite the public fallout. \u201cAs someone who has been helping other people through how to deal with the public eye, it\u2019s\u2026. You probably have to take your own medicine sometimes, you can\u2019t choose just to take the fun stuff in any job. That applies to the [Prince and Princess of Wales], as well as everyone else working for them, so I wouldn\u2019t change anything,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the end of the day, you get to do an amazing job. You\u2019ve got to take everything that comes with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n