Princess Charlotte’s birth announcement was nearly thrown into chaos after a royal aide lost the piece of paper containing the newborn princess’ name, birth time, and weight, which RadarOnline.com can reveal left officials facing a frantic race against the clock as hundreds of journalists waited outside the hospital.
Charlotte, 11, the only daughter of Prince William, 44, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, 44, was born at St Mary’s Hospital in London on May 2, 2015, at 8:34 am.
Princess Charlotte’s Birth Announcement Nearly Went Wrong
Princess Charlotte was born at St Mary’s Hospital on May 2, 2015.MEGA
Her birth weight was 8 lb 3 oz, and the carefully planned announcement was expected to follow several hours later.
But Jason Knauf, the then-communications aide to William and Catherine, had misplaced the handwritten details needed to prepare the official statement.
Knauf admitted: “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. 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.”
The revelation came during an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, in which Knauf described the extraordinary pressure surrounding one of the most closely watched royal births of the decade.
Royal Aide Loses Princess Charlotte’s Birth Details
At the time of her birth, a royal aide lost the piece of paper containing vital information.MEGA
The missing note contained Charlotte’s full name, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, together with the time she had been born and her weight.
Knauf realized it was gone while speaking to journalists gathered outside St Mary’s Hospital, where photographers and reporters had been waiting for news of the arrival.
A source familiar with the preparations for the announcement claimed: “It was the kind of mistake that could have caused enormous problems. The information on that piece of paper was incredibly sensitive, and there were hundreds of journalists waiting for the official announcement. Losing it on the street would have been a nightmare, and it is insane how much chaos this caused at the time.”
Knauf added: “Oh my God. Which we managed to get through, but not announce it. But 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. It was one of those things, like, heart in mouth until we got to the announcement, and I got through it.”
The aide later revealed the paper was never recovered.
When asked whether he eventually found it, Knauf said: “No, I never found it – and neither did any of the media, though. So that’s all that really mattered.”
Princess Charlotte’s Lost Note Could Have Sparked Royal Chaos
Then-communications aide Jason Knauf never recovered the lost piece of paper from the street.MEGA
Another insider claimed: “The remarkable part is that the information remained private despite the slip being somewhere among the crowds. Had a journalist found it, the entire carefully controlled announcement could have been undermined.”
Charlotte’s arrival was introduced to the public later that day when William and Catherine appeared outside the Lindo Wing with their newborn daughter, just hours after her birth.
The family then returned home.
Her arrival came less than three years after the birth of her older brother, Prince George, 13, and more than two years before the birth of her younger brother, Prince Louis, eight.
Jason Knauf’s Role in the Royal Family
Knauf later became chief executive of the Royal Foundation.MEGA
Knauf later became chief executive of the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales before leaving the royal household in early 2022.
He had also worked as communications secretary for William and Catherine, as well as Prince Harry, 41, and his wife, Meghan Markle, 45.