Prince Harry and Prince William’s Former Royal Aide Breaks Silence on the Brothers’ ‘Sad’ Rift

Admin13 hours ago

0 145 3 minutes read

Jason Knauf, who worked as a communications secretary for the brothers and their wives, said William and Harry’s schism has been tough for “all of us who know both of them”

A former royal aide to both Prince William and Prince Harry spoke out for the first time on the ongoing rift between the brothers.

Jason Knauf, who previously worked as a communications secretary for royal brothers and their wives, made the rare comments in a new interview with 60 Minutes Australia that aired on Feb. 23.

“It’s very difficult to have this stuff play out in the public eye, but [William]’s chosen to keep his thoughts on it private, and I think all of us who know him really have to respect that we should do the same,” Knauf said.

“But I will say, of course, it’s been hard and sad, especially for all of us who know both of them,” he continued.

Of Harry and Meghan, Knauf said, “I worked really closely with the two of them, and we had lots of great times,” pointing to their 2018 wedding as an “amazing, magical experience.”

Asked about if Prince Harry’s role within the royal family could change when Prince William accedes to the throne, Knauf said, “I can’t speculate about the future. They achieved a lot together, and none of that can ever be taken away.”

Knauf served as a communications secretary to Prince William and Kate Middleton as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle before transitioning to the role of chief executive of William and Kate’s Royal Foundation. He stepped down from the royal household at the end of 2021 but continues to be on the board of trustees for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (left) and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex arrive for the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace — Prince William and Prince Harry unveil a statue of Princess Diana at Kensington Palace in London on July 1, 2021.Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images

It’s been widely reported that the rift between the Prince of Wales, 42, and the Duke of Sussex, 40, began in 2016 when William expressed concerns about how quickly Harry’s relationship with Meghan was progressing. The schism became public in 2020 when Prince Harry and Meghan announced their decision to step back from their royal roles.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex on the long Walk at Windsor Castle arrive to view flowers and tributes to HM Queen Elizabeth on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022. — From left: Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle on Sept. 10, 2022.Chris Jackson/Getty

In the years since, the brothers have reunited only a handful of times, last presenting a united front with their wives when they met mourners outside Windsor Castle after their grandmother Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022. They were together at a memorial service for their uncle Lord Robert Fellowes in August, but they reportedly avoided one another.

Sources exclusively told PEOPLE in 2024 that Prince Harry’s calls and letters to his father, King Charles, go unanswered, and his attempts to connect with Prince William are also ignored.

The rift between the brothers is “very bad,” said a royal insider, but it’s not “irreparable.”