Former royal aide recalls Prince William’s heartbreaking reaction during phone call following news that Kate had cancer

A former royal aide has revealed how Prince William was the ‘lowest’ he’d ever since after receiving news that the Princess of Wales and King Charles had both been diagnosed with cancer. 

Jason Knauf, who was formerly Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s press secretary before he accused her of ‘bullying’ younger staff, has shared insights from the royal family as part of a new documentary for 60 Minutes Australia. The Duchess has always denied the allegations. 

Mr Knauf worked for William and Kate from 2015 and 2021 and remained close with the family afterwards. 

In 2024, both Kate and Charles were diagnosed with undisclosed forms of cancer – with Prince William later reflecting on how the year was ‘brutal’ for the family. 

At the same time, wild conspiracy theories took over social media about Kate’s whereabouts as she took time out from the public eye. 

Speaking in the documentary, Jason told how William was the ‘lowest’ he’d ever seen him, as he was informed about Kate’s illness during a personal phone call with the prince.  

He said: ‘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. It was awful, absolutely awful. It’s the lowest I’ve ever seen him.

‘But the problem was that all this crazy conspiracy theory stuff kicked off in the background online. 

‘Was she really ill? But 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.’

Elsewhere in the documentary, which was released on Sunday, the royal aide revealed how there was nearly a mishap with the announcement of the birth of Princess Charlotte in 2015. 

He said that Kate and William informed him of their daughter’s arrival very early on – even before some members of the family were made aware. 

But news of her birth almost leaked two hours before the palace were ready to announce it, after Jason realised he must have ‘dropped’ the press release somewhere on the street. 

The release had contained valuable details including the time of birth and how much Charlotte weighed. 

But miraculously, none of the media managed to get hold of it and the announcement went ahead as planned. 

Jason recalled: ‘We weren’t going to announce it for another couple hours and I had this piece of paper to go write this press release

‘I’m still out there with hundreds of journalists trying to have a game face, and then I couldn’t find the piece of paper, and I think I had dropped it somewhere on the street.’

During a phone call, he recalled how Prince William was the ‘lowest’ he’d ever sen him. Pictured last month on a visit to Scotland

Mr Knauf is pictured with the Princess of Wales during a visit to Scotland in 2021

He added: ‘We managed to get through, but not announce it. But somewhere on that street the entire time was a piece of paper that said there had been a little princess born, what time and how much she weighed. 

‘It was one of those things, like, heart in mouth until we got to the announcement and I got through it. I never found it and neither did any of the media though. So that’s all that really mattered.’

The 60 Minutes Documentary, Where There’s A Will, speaks to journalists and royal aides about the future King of England, and explores what sort of leader he will likely be. 

Jason Knauf initially worked as joint head of communications for both Harry and Meghan and William and Kate.

He subsequently made serious allegations about Meghan’s alleged bullying of junior staff before quitting.

The royal aide became a special adviser to William and Kate and then chief executive of the Royal Foundation, the charitable arm of their official operations.

During his time working for the couple, Mr Knauf helped start William’s high-profile Earthshot environmental awards and the couple’s Heads Together mental health initiative, as well as undertaking 36 foreign trips with them.

He left the foundation in 2021 to move abroad.

 Jason Knauf, lately Chief Executive Officer, The Royal Foundation, and Senior Advisor to The Prince and Princess of Wales, is made a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle in 2023

Mr Knauf said at the time: ‘Working for the Prince and Princess of Wales was the honour of a lifetime.

‘Receiving this recognition means more to me than I can say. I am incredibly grateful.’ 

The duchess has always denied the allegations of bullying, which she described an orchestrated smear campaign against her.

In their Netflix series Harry And Meghan in 2022, the Sussexes once again made clear their hostility towards Mr Knauf, with Meghan’s lawyer going so far as to suggest Prince William would have given his authority for him to come forward. 

Mr Knauf responded, saying he had been a neutral witness and did not consult the Royal Household first.