Former Royal Aide Says It's Been "Hard and Sad" to Witness Prince William and Prince Harry's Alleged Rift

"They achieved a lot together, and none of that can ever be taken away."

Prince William and Prince Harry wear tuxedos
(Image credit: Eddie Mulholland - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

A former royal aide—who worked with both Prince William and Prince Harry—is opening up about the brothers's alleged feud.

In a wide-ranging interview with 60 Minutes Australia, former royal aide Jason Knauf discussed the relationship between Harry and William. "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," he explained (via People). "But I will say, of course, it's been hard and sad, especially for all of us who know both of them."

Knauf also referenced the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, saying "I worked really closely with the two of them, and we had lots of great times." He called the couple's May 2018 wedding an "amazing, magical experience."

Princess Diana, Prince Harry and Prince William sitting in a log flume with wet hair laughing

Princess Diana, Prince Harry, and Prince William ride a log flume in 1993.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Knauf was also asked for his opinion regarding Prince Harry's future status within the Royal Family, particularly once Prince William becomes king. "I can't speculate about the future," he explained. "They achieved a lot together, and none of that can ever be taken away."

Throughout the interview, Knauf sang Prince William's praises, saying the royal will "bring as much down-to-earth wisdom and connection" to the palace when he becomes king. He also suggested that William will instigate some much needed changes to the monarchy, saying, "every generation, the Royal Family has to reinvent the role for the generation that they serve."

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During the same interview, the former Royal Foundation CEO shared a major faux pas he was involved in following Princess Charlotte's birth in 2015. "We weren't going to announce it for another couple of hours," Knauf said (via Hello! magazine). "And I had this piece of paper to go write this press release. I'm still out there with hundreds of journalists trying to have a game face, and then I couldn't find the piece of paper, and I think I had dropped it somewhere on the street."

By some stroke of luck, no-one ever discovered the confidential memo, with Knauf saying, "But somewhere on that street the entire time was a piece of paper that said there had been a little princess born, what time, and how much she weighed."

Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.