A former royal aide to both Prince William, Prince Harry and their wives was just appointed to a major role in William’s key environmental mission.

The Earthshot Prize announced Jason Knauf as the new CEO in a statement on April 17, explaining that the organization’s current CEO, Hannah Jones, will depart the post this summer after four years. Knauf joined Earthshot as CEO immediately and will work with his predecessor in the coming months of transition.

Prince William, 42, said in a statement, “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.”

“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,” he added.

Prince William and Jason Knauf at an investiture ceremony on May 10, 2023.
PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

Knauf previously worked as a communications secretary for Prince William and Kate Middleton as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle prior to the two couples splitting their offices (shortly before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from their royal roles). Knauf started as Kensington Palace Communications Director before becoming the CEO of the Royal Foundation, which encompasses William and Kate’s charitable work, until the end of 2021. Even after leaving his role in the royal household, Knauf continued to work on William’s Earthshot Prize, serving on its board of trustees.

In October 2018, Knauf filed a complaint that accused Meghan of bullying, claiming she drove two personal assistants out of the household and undermined the confidence of a third staff member. A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said at the time that Meghan was “saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma. She is determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right and doing what is good.”

Buckingham Palace investigated the accusations and improved HR policies for staff, although the changes were not publicly disclosed.

Jason Knauf speaks on stage at the 2021 Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony at Alexandra Palace in London on Oct. 17, 2021.
Alberto Pezzali – WPA Pool/Getty

In a rare interview with 60 Minutes Australia in February, Knauf spoke for the first time about the distance between the brothers amid an ongoing rift. 

“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,” Knauf said then. “But I will say, of course, it’s been hard and sad, especially for all of us who know both of them.”

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King Charles‘ elder son founded the Earthshot Prize in 2020 as a 10-year campaign to repair the planet across five flagship categories: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate. The prestigious global contest offers $1.3 million prizes in each tier yearly to help innovators scale their ideas to create change.

It was announced in early April that the fifth Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony and its related days of celebration will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in November, taking the event to South America for the first time.