Sad loss for Kate Middleton and Prince William as palace aide who accused Meghan Markle of 'bullying' quits

Sad loss for Kate Middleton and Prince William as palace aide Jason Knauf who accused Meghan Markle of 'bullying' has stepped down from his role.

• Kate Middleton and Prince William have expressed their sadness after palace aide who accused Meghan Markle of bullying has quit his role
• Jason Knauf was an aide to Prince Harry and Meghan and then the Cambridge's but has since quit working for the royal family
• This royal news comes as it's revealed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s baby girl may be born sooner than you think

Kate Middleton and Prince William's palace aide Jason Knauf, who accused Meghan Markle of 'bullying', has quit his role and is set to leave at the end of the year.

Jason, who currently works as chief executive of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Royal Foundation was the former communications secretary to Prince Harry and Meghan until they moved to LA to set up a new life with their son Archie, two.

Mr Knauf, who marks his seventh year working for the royals, is thought to have reluctantly quit because his husband has taken up a diplomatic position overseas. And following the news of his departure, Prince William and Kate expressed their sadness and praised him as being an "integral part of our team since 2015".

The joint statement added, "We are immensely grateful for his hard work and commitment, both at the Royal Foundation and previously as our Communications Secretary. Since taking over as chief executive, Jason has driven positive change, making our vision for our charitable work and the causes that matter most to us a reality. We are sad to see him go but wish him all the very best in his future career. We look forward to launching the recruitment search shortly and welcoming a new chief executive later on this year."

He attended Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding and accompanied the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their royal tour of Canada.

Speaking about his departure, Mr Knauf said, "Working with The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has been the privilege of my career. I will always be grateful for the opportunity I have had to support their leadership in the UK and internationally.

"The months ahead will be the busiest time in the Foundation's history with the first awards for The Earthshot Prize and more progress on our early childhood work. We have a lot to do with our amazing team and all of our partners."

Earlier this year Meghan responded to claims she 'bullied' members of staff at Kensington Palace after new reports from The Times claimed that the Duchess of Sussex ‘drove out’ two palace aides.

It’s been alleged that the Duchess of Sussex was officially complained about by her and Harry’s communications advisor Jason Knauf back in October 2018 – before the couple stepped back from royal life.

The complaint reportedly claimed Meghan “drove two personal assistants out of the household and was undermining the confidence of a third staff member”.

Aides also reportedly accused Meghan of “emotional cruelty and manipulation” and the Sussexes are claimed to have pleaded with Knauf not to log the complaint.

At the time of the emerging reports, Meghan, who is pregnant with her second child, issued a statement in response.

“The duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma,” Meghan’s team said.

“She is determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right and doing what is good.”