Prince William has appointed the aide who accused Meghan Markle of bullying as CEO of The Earthshot Prize.
It follows news from the organisation that Hannah Jones will step down as CEO this summer after four years leading Prince William's environmental initiative.
Jason Knauf, former CEO of The Royal Foundation, has been appointed by the Board of Trustees as her replacement.
He sent an internal email expressing serious concerns about the Duchess of Sussex's behaviour towards Palace staff in 2018.
Prince William has appointed the aide who accused Meghan Markle of bullying as CEO of The Earthshot Prize
Getty
In the leaked email, he wrote: "I am very concerned that the Duchess was able to bully two PAs out of the household in the past year. The treatment of X was totally unacceptable."
"The Duchess seems intent on always having someone in her sights. She is bullying Y and seeking to undermine her confidence."
Buckingham Palace launched an internal review into these claims, though the findings were never made public.
Knuaf recently doubled down on these claims, saying he "wouldn't change anything" and has "no regrets" in an interview with 60 Minutes Australia.
Jason Knauf served as press secretary to the Prince and Princess of Wales for six yearsInstagramThe Duchess of Sussex has consistently denied the bullying allegations, which she described as a "calculated smear campaign".
Knauf worked at the highest levels of the Royal Family for seven years, overseeing communications for both the King's children. He quit working for the Sussexes in 2018 and remained with William and Kate until 2019.
The former aide was then appointed CEO of The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess until 2022, and the following year was named a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order.
Jones, who is stepping down as CEO in the summer, was appointed in 2021 to lead the Prince of Wales' environmental initiative.
LATEST ROYAL NEWS:
Under her leadership, the Prize has held ceremonies in London, Boston, Singapore and Cape Town.
She has overseen support for 60 global Finalists from over 5,000 nominations and has disbursed £20m in grants to winners and catalysed over £90m for solutions.
The Prize's 60 Finalists have collectively reduced 420,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and protected 170,000 square km of land and oceans.
Their solutions have also saved 2.5M tonnes of water and improved the lives of 4.4M people.
Prince William making Jason Knauf a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order in 2023PASpeaking on the newly appointed CEO, William said: "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.”
Jason Knauf said: “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.”
Knauf is joining the Prize as CEO immediately, working with Jones to help ensure a "smooth transition" over the coming months.
