Meghan Markle and Prince Harry stunned the world when the couple gave some royal insight into what has really been going on behind closed doors in their sitdown with Oprah Winfrey. While the couple shed a lot of light on their side of the story, there are still many questions left unanswered. According to Marke and Harry’s side of the story, Markle was painted in an unfair light. Harry went as far as to say he felt history might repeat itself if things continued as is, referring to the tragic and unexpected death of his mother, Princess Diana.
While admitting she was brought to tears by her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, former royal staffer, Jason Knauf, accused the actress of being less than kind to her assistants while on royal property, after defending her a few years ago. The news of his accusations went public just days before she and Harry’s interview aired that caused major headlines. However, throughout the more than hour-long interview, Markle and Harry feel as if they were not supported in more ways than one, painting them in a bad light.
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Knauf joined Kensington Palace in 2015 and became a trusted staffer to the sweet pair quickly after. Before making accusations against the former Suits star, he actually came to the couples’ defense in 2016. He released a statement on behalf of Harry according to Page Six that read, “Some of this has been very public — the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.” Knauf even attended Harry and Markles wedding in 2018 after becoming Markle’s press secretary.
Prior to his time with the royals, he worked for the Royal Bank of Scotland and British Treasury. Prior to that, he was a press secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2007 to 2008. Following that, he began working with the Royal Family, including Harry’s brother and sister-in-law, Prince William and Middleton. However, after defending Markle, he recently made claims that stated she was “bullying” staffers.
Knauf emailed Prince William’s private secretary, Simon Case, in 2018 and said, “I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year.” He allegedly raised a concern with Samantah Carruthers, who’s head of HR, according to The Times of London. “The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sight,” he continued. “She is bullying Y (name removed) and seeking to undermine her confidence.” The statement then added, “I remain concerned that nothing will be done.” Harry allegedly met with Knauf and asked him not to go forward with the complaint, but it appears he did anyways.
