Jason Knauf, a former aide for Prince William, recently opened up about the media frenzy surrounding the birth of Princess Charlotte ― and how he almost accidentally leaked the news before it was officially announced.
Birth announcements from the British royal family are some of the most anticipated news stories around the globe, especially as the royals do not reveal the sex of their baby or their name ahead of time.
“You have hundreds and hundreds of journalists and photographers from all over the world that arrive in London, camping outside, trying to get their spot,” Knauf said, describing the scene from 2015 in an interview with “60 Minutes Australia.”
He added that “Behind the scenes, you have a very pregnant member of the royal family and her husband who are trying to get their lives organized for the arrival of a different child.”
When the princess was born on May 2, Knauf was one of the first to know all of the details ― which he nearly let slip.
“We weren’t going to announce it for another couple of hours, and I had this piece of paper to go write this press release,” Knauf shared. “And 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.”
“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,” he said, adding that his heart was racing leading up to the big moment.
But the announcement went off without a hitch ― or an early leak ― though Knauf never located the piece of paper in question.
“Neither did any of the media, though, so that’s all that really mattered,” he said.
The then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge put out a statement later that day that their baby girl, the couple’s first, was born at 8:34 a.m. She weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces.
Though William was present for the birth, he later left to get Prince George and bring him to the hospital to meet his new baby sister, presenting another adorable photo opportunity for well-wishers:
