The chief executive of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Royal Foundation will quit at the end of the year.
Jason Knauf, who was also communications secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, has been with the Royal Family for seven years, but is believed to be leaving because his husband has got a diplomatic job overseas. Prince William and Duchess Catherine have expressed their gratitude for his “hard work and commitment”.
In a joint statement they said: “Jason has been an integral part of our team since 2015. We are immensely grateful for his hard work and commitment, both at the Royal Foundation and previously as our Communications Secretary. Since taking over as chief executive, Jason has driven positive change, making our vision for our charitable work and the causes that matter most to us a reality. We are sad to see him go but wish him all the very best in his future career. We look forward to launching the recruitment search shortly and welcoming a new chief executive later on this year.”
And in his own statement Jason said how privileged he feels to have worked alongside William and Catherine, he said: ‘Working with The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has been the privilege of my career. I will always be grateful for the opportunity I have had to support their leadership in the UK and internationally. The months ahead will be the busiest time in the Foundation’s history with the first awards for The Earthshot Prize and more progress on our early childhood work. We have a lot to do with our amazing team and all of our partners.”
Jason has had a major involvement in many projects alongside William and Catherine. He worked on Earthshot Prize, a global prize for the environment, which aims to incentivise change and help to repair the planet. He was also pivotal in the foundation’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.