A misplaced press release was close to causing chaos for Princess Charlotte’s…
A former royal aide has revealed how a misplaced press release nearly led to an early leak of Princess Charlotte’s birth announcement.
Jason Knauf, a former press secretary and adviser to the Prince and Princess of Wales, recounted the nerve-wracking moment in a new 60 Minutes Australia documentary.
Knauf, who worked closely with Prince William and Kate Middleton, described how he was one of the first to receive the official details about Charlotte’s birth on May 2, 2015.
However, an unexpected mistake almost resulted in the news being made public hours before the palace was ready.
The birth of a royal child is a highly anticipated event, drawing hundreds of journalists and photographers from around the world. According to Knauf, media representatives had gathered outside St. Mary’s Hospital in London, eager to report on the news.
“You have hundreds of journalists camped outside, waiting for confirmation,” Knauf recalled. “Meanwhile, behind the scenes, you have a very pregnant member of the royal family and her husband preparing for their child’s arrival.”
Knauf had been entrusted with a document that contained key details about Charlotte’s birth, including her time of arrival and birth weight. However, as he prepared to write the official palace statement, he realized he had lost the press release.
We weren’t going to announce it for another couple of hours, and I had this piece of paper with all the details,” he explained. “Then I couldn’t find it-I must have dropped it somewhere on the street.”
Despite the high stakes, no journalist stumbled upon the misplaced press release, and the palace was able to proceed with the announcement as scheduled.
“It was a heart-in-mouth moment until we finally made the announcement,” Knauf admitted. “I never found it, and neither did any of the media-so that’s all that really mattered.”
Prince William’s Challenging Year
Beyond this anecdote, Knauf also spoke about the difficult year Prince William faced in 2024, when both Kate Middleton and King Charles III were diagnosed with cancer.
“In a matter of weeks, William learned that both his wife and father were battling serious illnesses,” Knauf revealed. “I couldn’t believe it. It was awful, absolutely awful. It’s the lowest I’ve ever seen him.”
Adding to the challenge, wild conspiracy theories about Kate’s absence from the public eye spread across social media, forcing the family to navigate a difficult balance between privacy and public expectation.
“They didn’t want to announce Kate’s illness until they had told the children first,” Knauf explained. “But while they were handling it privately, rumors began to spiral out of control.
Knauf’s Royal Legacy
During his time working with the Royal Family, Knauf played a key role in launching initiatives like the Earthshot Prize and Heads Together mental health campaign.
After stepping down from his position in 2021, he was honored in 2023 by being made a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order, an award given for exceptional service to the monarchy.
Reflecting on his time working for the Prince and Princess of Wales, Knauf expressed deep gratitude: “Working for William and Kate was the honor of a lifetime. Receiving this recognition means more to me than I can say. I am incredibly grateful.”
From royal birth announcements to supporting the future King through personal and public crises, Knauf’s experiences provide a rare behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the monarchy-and the pressures that come with it.
