Prince William issues charity update after Earthshot Prize CEO steps down
The Prince of Wales will be working with a former royal aide againPrince William has issued a statement on the future of the Earthshot Prize charity after a member of his team quit.
CEO of the organisation, Hannah Jones, is set to step down from her role in the summer. She has been working with the Prince of Wales for four years.
However, Prince William revealed his and Kate Middleton’s former royal aide, Jason Knauf, will be taking her place.
Prince William’s Eartshot Prize announcement
The 42-year-old is currently on holiday with his wife Kate and their three children Prince George, Louis and Princess Charlotte. The family have chosen to opt out of the annual Easter church service this year on Easter Sunday, which is usually tradition for the royals.
It’ll be the second year in a row they have skipped the ritual, after ditching last year’s service as it came days after Kate’s cancer diagnosis reveal.
Instead, they are enjoying a stay in Norfolk during the school break.
But Prince William took time out of his trip to make the Eartshot Prize announcement.
It’s understood CEO Jones will continue to provide strategic advice on innovation and sustainability to Kensington Palace. She will also work closely with Jason to help the transition run smoothly over the summer.
He said: “As the first CEO, Hannah has built The Prize into a world class organisation with an incredible team delivering an annual Prize, powering a platform for speeding solutions to scale, and catalysing a movement to encourage young people, spark imaginations and infuse urgent optimism across the world.”
“As we look ahead to the future of The Prize and the urgent work needed to scale more inspiring solutions to the world’s greatest challenges, I look forward to working with Jason [Knauf] to chart the course for the next five years of The Earthshot Prize and beyond,” Prince William concluded.
‘Privilege’ to help Prince William
Whereas, CEO Hannah Jones says it’s time to ‘step aside’ from the project.
She said: “As I tell all our finalists in our annual Fellowship Retreat, one of the most important jobs of a CEO is to know the right time to step aside.
“After four years, and midway through the Earthshot decade, this is my time to pass the baton. It’s been a privilege to help bring The Prince of Wales’s founding vision to life.
“I’m incredibly proud of everything our team has achieved, deeply grateful to all our Founding Partners and Global Alliance for their support, and I am delighted to remain an enthusiastic member of The Earthshot family.”
Who is Jason Knauf?
Jason has worked closely with the Wales’s for some time, having previously worked as their communication secretary for six years from 2015. He was also the former CEO of their Royal Foundation. Jason previously worked on the Earthshot Prize on its board of trustees.
He recently appeared in a special 60 Minutes Australia episode where he opened up over the Prince and Princess of Wales’ ‘brutal year’ following Kate’s health battle.
Jason Knauf revealed Prince William was at his ‘lowest’ after finding out both his father and wife had been diagnosed with cancer within weeks of each other.
But he has a history with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry as well. Jason Knauf worked as a communications secretary for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, before their offices were split officially.
Then in October 2018, he filed a complaint that accused the Duchess of Sussex of bullying, claiming her behaviour caused two royal personal assistants to quit.
Meghan has always denied the claim, and at the time, her spokesperson said she was “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.
“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.”
What is the Earthshot Prize?
The Earthshot Prize, founded by Prince William, is a global environmental award.
Inspired by President Kennedy’s Moonshot Challenge, it aims to find and scale innovate solutions to environmental challenges around the world.
Five winners are announced each year, and they are given £1 million to help accelerate their work.
The next Earthshot Prize Awards are set to be held in Rio De Janeiro in Brazil in November 2025.
Previously, they have been hosted in Cape Town, Singapore, Boston and London.
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