Prince William and Kate Middleton proudly announced the birth of Princess Charlotte, their second child, on May 2, 2015. Major news from Kensington Palace always comes neatly packaged with a bow, and this was no different. However, things almost went disastrously.
A mishap was narrowly avoided according to a former royal aide who spoke in a 60 Minutes Australia documentary, as per The Mirror. If it hadn’t been, Jason Knauf says the news of Charlotte’s royal arrival could have been leaked to the public before the palace could put together a fancy press release.
The former advisor to the Prince and Princess of Wales claims that the married couple wanted to spend time alone with newborn Charlotte before sharing the details with the British public, just as they did when their first-born, Prince George, arrived. While they enjoyed that secluded moment, the palace directed Knauf to draft the official announcement to tell the world the good news. It would include the usual information — time and date of birth, the baby’s weight, and assurance that both mother and child were in good health.
In his 60 Minutes interview, Knauf explained how things almost went wrong. “We weren’t going to announce it for another couple of hours,” he said. 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.”
Probably mid-panic attack, he had to improvise. “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.” Knauf never did find the piece of paper, but fortunately for him, neither did the media.
10 years later, we’ve learned Charlotte will inherit a rare royal title when her father eventually becomes king. She’ll become Princess Royal, an uncommon title typically given to the eldest daughter of the sitting monarch. Only eight other people have ever been given this honor in the U.K. The list includes Charlotte’s great-aunt Princess Anne, who boasts the title currently.
Young Charlotte is reportedly very like her late great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. And not just in her grace or bite either. People have pointed out there’s a resemblance between nine-year-old Charlotte and a 1938 picture of Elizabeth when she was young.
Charlotte’s royal future, thanks to her title will be similar in nature to Princess Anne’s. She’ll do outreach work and philanthropic ventures, and attend events as deemed necessary by Kensington Palace. Amendments to the British monarchy’s rules make it possible for her to become queen, should the line of succession take an unlikely path in the far future. As reported by the BBC, a reform concluded that female royals in line will have the same right to the throne as their male counterparts. Before, the eldest son would supersede an older sister, should he have one.
There’s plenty of time to consider boring royal rules and duties in the future. For now, Charlotte is a nine-year-old with lots of time and resources to find out how she wants to carve out her royal future.
Published: Feb 26, 2025 06:53 am