Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Former Aide Came *This Close* to Disaster With Princess Charlotte’s Birth Announcement
A royal close call! Prince William and Kate Middleton’s former communications secretary, Jason Knauf, is opening up about coming *this close* to leaking details of Princess Charlotte’s 2015 birth. In a February 2025 interview, Knauf recalled losing a piece of paper with the now-9-year-old’s birth stats shortly before the Prince and Princess of Wales announced they’d welcomed a baby girl.
Paper with details on Charlotte’s birth went missing before William and Kate’s announcement
In a 60 Minutes Australia interview on Feb. 23, 2025, Knauf looked back on narrowly avoiding disaster when William and Kate welcomed Charlotte in May 2015. He remembered writing Charlotte’s full name, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, on a piece of paper along with her time of birth and birth weight.
Then while speaking to journalists assembled outside the Lindo Wing of St. Marry’s Hospital in London, England, Knauf realized he’d lost the paper.
“We weren’t going to announce it for another couple of hours,” Knauf said. “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.”
“Oh my God,” he continued, noting they “managed to get through” it without Charlotte’s birth announcement being leaked. “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.”
“It was one of those things, like, heart in mouth until we got to the announcement. And I got through it,” he added. Knauf “never found” the paper “and neither did any of the media, though. So that’s all that really mattered.”
The day Charlotte was born also included a ‘terrifying’ moment for Kate Middleton
On the “Happy Mum, Happy Baby” podcast in February 2020, Kate opened up about the traditionally posing for photos outside the hospital. Saying she wasn’t “going to lie,” Kate described it as “slightly terrifying.”
She then explained why she and William did the photo call with Prince George, Charlotte, and Prince Louis. “Both William and I were really conscious that this was something that everyone was excited about,” Kate said. “And, you know, we’re hugely grateful for the support that the public had shown us.”
“And actually for us to be able to share that joy and appreciation with the public, I felt was really important,” Kate added. “But equally, it was coupled with a newborn baby, and inexperienced parents, and the uncertainty of what that held. So there were all sorts of mixed emotions.”
Princess Charlotte turns 10 in May 2025
William and Kate’s daughter has a big birthday coming up in less than three months at the time of writing. On May 2, 2025, Charlotte will be 10 years old. That will put her in double-digits and tween territory as she—and George—get closer to entering their teen years.
Royal fans can expect a new photo of Charlotte to mark her birthday. It’s tradition that Kate and William share a never-before-seen snap, often taken by the future queen, to mark the occasion.
First up, however, Charlotte and George have their younger brother Prince Louis’s birthday to celebrate. He turns 7 on April 23, 2025. Then it’ll be Charlotte’s turn followed by William in June and George in July.
