Former royal aide accused Meghan Markle of bullying New Year’s honors

A former Royal Aide who accused the Duchess of bullying. sussex Contributions to the monarchy were recognized in New Year’s honors.

Jason Knauf was made a lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (RVO) after seven years of service for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

He ended his career in the royal family as chief executive of William and Kate royal foundationretired at the end of 2021.

Honors within the RVO are royal gifts and are awarded to those who have personally served the monarch or the royal family independently of Downing Street.

While working as communications secretary for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in October 2018, he emailed his concerns: Megan to William’s then-private secretary in an apparent attempt to force Buckingham Palace to protect its staff.

The Duchess’ defense team has so far vehemently denied the allegations.

In the Sussex’s recent Netflix documentary series, Meghan’s attorney argued that a former aide could not have provided evidence “without the authority of her superiors” in the Duchess’ copyright lawsuit against the newspaper.

The Duchess plans to sue ANL, publishers of Mail On Sunday and Mail Online, over five articles that reproduced parts of “personal and private” letters to her estranged father. Succeeded. Thomas Markle August 2018.

Evidence from Mr. Knauf, harry Meghan’s former communications secretary, who was a key aide to William and Kate at the time, was relied upon by the Associated Press (ANL) during an appeal against Meghan’s legal victory.

A High Court judge ruled in Meghan’s favor last year without a full trial, but the ANL argued the case should go to trial, and the publisher’s attorney said the new evidence from Knauf was , claimed to imply that Meghan wrote the letter with the understanding that it could be leaked.

This challenge was dismissed by a judge of the Court of Appeal.

In the final episode of the six-part documentary, Harry said there had been an attempt to “cover up” the aide’s relationship with William, and that Mr. Knauf was “Meghan and Harry’s former aide,” not at the time. It was explained that there is , working as the Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Foundation of William and Kate.

A written statement broadcast by Knauf’s legal team during the Netflix episode said: Mr Knauf was asked to provide evidence by both the Duchess of Sussex and related newspapers.

“He was advised by his defense counsel that the evidence in his possession was potentially relevant and presented it directly to the court, remaining neutral in the process.”

Prior to joining the royal family, he worked for a variety of institutions, from New Zealand’s Prime Minister’s Office to the British Treasury to the Royal Bank of Scotland.

He became communications secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry in 2015, then headed Meghan and Harry’s press team, and later senior advisor to William and Kate.

Mr. Knauf has led a review of the role and structure of the Royal Foundation since March 2019 and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in September of the same year.

Mr. Knauf oversaw the launch of the Foundation’s Earthshot Awards. This is William’s ambitious £50m environmental award, now an independent charity, recognizing solutions, ideas and technologies that ‘repair the planet’.