Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career Money
    • Health Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes amp; Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Kate Middleton Kept Her Cancer Diagnosis Secret for So Long Because She "Hadn't Told" George, Charlotte, and Louis Yet

    "It was awful, absolutely awful," a former royal aide explained.

    Amy Mackelden#039;s avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 23 February 2025 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Kate Middleton has long, wavy brunette hair and wears a bright yellow dress with puffy sleeves
    (Image credit: Getty Images/Max Mumby/Indigo)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Jason Knauf—a former royal aide to Prince William and Kate Middleton—is opening up about his work with the Royal Family in a new interview. As well as sharing his thoughts on what Prince William will be like when he becomes king, Knauf addressed the difficult decisions the Prince and Princess of Wales made in the wake of Kate's cancer diagnosis.

    In early 2024, a plethora of Princess Kate conspiracy theories began running wild. Without an official announcement from Kensington Palace—which came later in March 2024—the general public started wondering what might have happened to the Princess of Wales. In a new interview with 60 Minutes Australia (via GB News), Knauf revealed why Kate and William waited to announce the difficult news.

    "They didn't want to say yet that she had cancer because they hadn't told the children and they were still working through how to tell the children," Knauf explained.

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Prince William wearing a blue coat smiling and looking at Kate Middleton, in a green coat and plaid scarf, standing with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis outside church

    "They were still working through how to tell the children."

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    The couple's former royal aide also discussed the Prince of Wales's reaction to the news. "It was awful, absolutely awful," Knauf told 60 Minutes Australia. "It's the lowest I've ever seen him."

    Knauf continued, "Within a couple of weeks, if you're Prince William, you find out that both your wife and your father have cancer. I couldn't believe it."

    You may like
    • Princess Kate walking in front of Prince George, Prince William and Princess Charlotte Why Prince William and Kids Were Left Waiting for Princess Kate
    • Queen Camilla smiling in a group of people, wearing a blue dress Queen Camilla Admits She “Almost” Revealed The King's Cancer News Early
    • Princess Kate Middleton wears a black blazer and black top and has long wavy brunette hair featuring blonde highlights Princess Kate Says Cancer "Changes How You Think and Feel"

    Princess Kate and Prince William holding hands with Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte, all wearing navy school uniforms, walking into school with trees behind them

    The Princess and Princess of Wales with their three children—Prince George, Prince Louis, and Princess Charlotte.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    The former royal aide—who worked with William and Kate for 7 years—also addressed the strange theories that erupted on the internet due to the Princess of Wales's absence from public life. "The problem was that all this crazy conspiracy theory stuff kicked off in the background online," Knauf noted.

    In the trailer for Knauf's exclusive interview, the former Royal Foundation CEO spoke about what Prince William will be like as a monarch. "Just what you see is what you get," he told the interviewer. The former royal employee also added that with "every generation, the Royal Family has to reinvent the role for the generation that they serve," which the Prince of Wales has already started doing.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Explore More
    Princess Catherine Prince George Prince Louis Prince William Princess Charlotte
    Amy Mackelden
    Amy Mackelden
    Social Links Navigation
    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

    Read more
    Queen Camilla smiling in a group of people, wearing a blue dress
    Royals Queen Camilla Admits She “Almost” Revealed The King's Cancer News Early
    By Kristin Contino
    Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George, Prince William, and Princess Kate in Scotland on August 1, 2026
    Royals Princess Kate and Prince William Aren't "Lazy"
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Princess Kate wearing a green dress and holding hands with a cancer patient
    Royals Princess Kate Reflects On the "Huge Difference" One Hobby Made on Her Cancer Recovery
    By Kristin Contino
    Prince William Princess Kate dating
    Royals Royal Editor Reveals the “Sincere” Advice Given To Kate Middleton While Dating Prince William
    By Christine Ross
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Princess Lilibet, Prince Archie and Prince Harry walking through grass at Althorp
    Royals Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Are Changing Schools After Just 2 Days
    Princess Anne wearing a coat and paisley scarf
    Royals Princess Anne Gets a "Round of A-Paws" from Sheep Dogs in Timeless Paisley Look
     
     
    Meghan Markle wearing a blue striped shirt
    Royals Meghan Markle Transforms Her Wardrobe from California to Cotswolds
    Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana (1961 - 1997) and Prince Charles at Victoria Station, London, where they will welcome a state delegation from Nigeria, March 1989.
    Royals Why Queen Elizabeth "Was Furious" With Princess Diana
     
     
    Latest in News
    Princess Lilibet, Prince Archie and Prince Harry walking through grass at Althorp
    Royals Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Are Changing Schools After Just 2 Days
    Bella Hadid arrived at New York Fashion Week in a patchwork Coach bag and Ugg boots
    Celebrity Style Bella Hadid Returns With Another Coach It Bag and VIP-Beloved Ugg Boots
     
     
    Katie Holmes wore a white crewneck sweater, black trousers, and leather loafers at the 2026 US Open
    Celebrity Style Katie Holmes Styles This Editor-Endorsed NYFW Uniform at the 2026 US Open
    Princess Anne wearing a coat and paisley scarf
    Royals Princess Anne Gets a "Round of A-Paws" from Sheep Dogs in Timeless Paisley Look
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.