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A former aide of the Prince and Princess of Wales has shared his thoughts on Prince William's beard. "I love it. I think it's great," Jason Knauf said in an interview with 60 Minutes Australia. "But I've talked to him about it, or tried to talk to him about it. He's like, 'It's here. I have a beard, you know, no further conversation.'"
As for whether the Princess of Wales likes it, Jason, who's described as one of William's "closest confidantes," answered, "If she didn't like it, it wouldn't be there. I could tell you that."
The heir to the throne showed off his beard in a video congratulating Team GB back in August. Although he was spotted looking clean-shaven two weeks after the video, Prince William has since let his beard grow out.
While the Princess of Wales seems to be a fan of her husband's facial hair, William has previously revealed that his daughter Princess Charlotte did not like it the first time. He said, "I got floods of tears the first time I grew a beard, so I had to shave it off. And then I grew it back. I thought, hang on a second and I convinced her it was going to be okay."
It was revealed in 60 Minutes Australia that the Prince and Princess told Jason of their daughter's arrival in 2015 before they told their families the news. Jason was an "integral part" of William and Catherine's team. It was announced in 2021 that he would be stepping down as chief executive of the couple’s Royal Foundation at the end of the year. Jason had previously worked as Their Royal Highnesses' communications secretary. In a LinkedIn post in 2022, Jason explained that after seven years of working for William and Catherine, he was moving to India to join his husband on a diplomatic posting.
“Serving as Communications Secretary and then Foundation CEO has been the privilege of my career. We’ve built powerful platforms like Heads Together, The Earthshot Prize, and the Centre for Early Childhood. I’ve travelled to 36 countries and to every corner of the U.K. And I’ve made amazing new friends along the way,” Jason wrote. “I’ve been so proud to support the unique, optimistic leadership of The Duke and Duchess during a period where we’ve confronted a pandemic, the climate crisis, a seismic shift in our attitudes to mental health, and so much more. I’m grateful to all of our partners and supporters who have believed in our ability to achieve extraordinary things by working together.”
While Jason no longer works for the Prince and Princess, he sits on the board of trustees for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize. 60 Minutes Australia described Jason as one of William's "closest confidantes." In his interview with 60 Minutes Australia, Jason recalled the Prince telling him about the Princess' health last year. "It was awful. Absolutely awful," he said of the call. "It's the lowest I've ever seen him."
Jason continued, "But the problem was that all this crazy, sort of conspiracy theory stuff kicked off in the background online. 'Was she really ill?' But they didn't want to say yet that she had cancer because they hadn't told the children and were still working through how to tell the children."
Catherine announced last March that she was undergoing a course of preventative chemotherapy. Months later in September, Her Royal Highness revealed that she had completed her treatment. Following her first public appearance of 2025, the Princess of Wales shared in a personal message that she is now in remission. Catherine penned: "It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focussed on recovery. As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal. I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead. There is much to look forward to. Thank you to everyone for your continued support."