Princess Charlotte’s birth announcement in 2015 almost turned into a chaotic event due to a misplaced press release. Jason Knauf, a former royal aide, recently shared the story in an interview with 60 Minutes Australia. Knauf had written down important details about the princess’s birth on a piece of paper, including her full name, birth time, and weight.
This information was meant to be used for the official press release. However, while speaking to journalists outside the hospital, Knauf realized he had lost the slip of paper. “I think I had dropped it somewhere on the street,” he said.
The announcement was not scheduled for another couple of hours, and Knauf found himself in a tense situation. “I’m out there with hundreds of journalists trying to keep my composure,” he recalled.
Knauf’s press release mishap
Despite the missing document, the royal team managed to proceed without making the announcement prematurely. “It was one of those heart-in-mouth moments until we got to the announcement,” Knauf said. Fortunately, neither Knauf nor any of the media members found the lost piece of paper.
“I never found it, and neither did any of the media, which was all that really mattered,” he added. Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, the daughter of Prince William and Kate Middleton, was born on May 2, 2015, at 8:34 a.m., weighing 8 lbs. 3 oz.
The family left St. Mary’s Hospital in London later that day, just hours after the birth. Knauf served as communications secretary for William and Kate and later as chief executive of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Royal Foundation before leaving the royal household in early 2022.