Prince William is getting even more buddy-buddy with the royal aide who brought Meghan Markle‘s bullying allegations to light!
On Thursday, the Prince of Wales’ organization The Earthshot Prize announced Jason Knauf will be the new CEO! He has already begun his role and will work alongside his predecessor, Hannah Jones, for the next few months to ensure a smooth transition.
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In a statement, William first thanked Hannah, who has been CEO for four years, for her work:
“As the first CEO, Hannah has built The Prize into a world class organization with an incredible team delivering an annual Prize, powering a platform for speeding solutions to scale, and catalyzing a movement to encourage young people, spark imaginations and infuse urgent optimism across the world.”
The future king then shared his excitement for the next chapter of the org:
“As we look ahead to the future of The Prize and the urgent work needed to scale more inspiring solutions to the world’s greatest challenges, I look forward to working with Jason to chart the course for the next five years of the Earthshot Prize and beyond.”
Wow!
Accepting the new role, Jason expressed:
“I am honoured to be appointed as the next CEO of The Earthshot Prize and look forward to working with our exceptional team and incredible Earthshot community to advance our mission of urgent optimism for our planet. The Prize has already achieved so much and the future potential is vast. I can’t wait to get started.”
If you don’t recall, Jason worked as the communications secretary for William and Princess Catherine — as well as Meghan and Prince Harry before the couples split their offices. Jason was the Kensington Palace Communications Director before he was named the CEO of the Royal Foundation — which oversees William and Kate Middleton’s charitable work — until he stepped back in 2021. He was previously named a member of the Earthshot Prize board.
Back in 2018, though, Jason ignited a ton of controversy at the palace when he filed a complaint that accused the Suits alum of bullying, alleging her behavior drove away two personal assistants and undermined the confidence of another staff member. Meghan denied the allegations — though they’ve haunted her ever since!
Buckingham Palace also conducted an investigation and insisted they made changes to their HR policies for staff after the complaint, but details of both were not shared publicly.
William has remained close to Jason over the years, so it’s not shocking to see him promote Jason yet again. But given this complicated history, it’s very telling. It’s like another subtle jab at his estranged brother and sister-in-law!
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