I haven’t read every single part of Byline Times’ cover story about Dan Wootton, Kensington Palace, and the Christian Jones fiasco, but what I’ve read already is pretty explosive, and it’s telling that the British media has clammed up entirely about Byline’s story, just as they refused to cover much of the unfolding Wootton scandal several months ago. Most of the British papers don’t want to touch this because they’re too intimately involved with the trading of royal stories. Every tabloid knew that Clarence House and Kensington Palace would give away negative stories about the Sussexes to protect Charles, William and their wives. For Dan Wootton, the shift in allegiance came in the spring of 2019, right after he reported the now infamous “rural rival” story, linking Rose Hanbury to William and Kate. From Byline:
On 13 March 2019, Wootton published an article in The Sun about an alleged falling out between Prince William and Kate and the Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley, David Rocksavage and Rose Hanbury, whom the paper dubbed Kate’s “rural rival”. For reasons that are not clear, the article was subsequently removed from The Sun’s website, but remained widely
reported elsewhere.A former friend of Wootton’s told Byline Times that the journalist’s allegiance appeared to quickly shift from one prince to another. “Dan hated Prince William until around May 2019,” they said. “Behind closed doors, he didn’t have a good word for him. He was always talking about his attitude. But Dan never criticised Harry, really. He never seemed to have much interest at all. Then, suddenly in the summer of 2019, he switched. Basically, he was hating on Harry and Meghan. He had previously been obsessed with Prince William. And then he switched to the Sussexes.”
[From Byline Times]
Yep. That spring, Kensington Palace sprang into action as they attempted to contain the Rose Hanbury story and stop the bleeding. William/KP followed two paths of action. One, legal threats, bullying, undercover gag orders, invisible contract stuff. Two, William openly “struck bargains” with media outlets to feed them negativity about the Sussexes. Remember those James Palmer tweets? He was at Foreign Policy at the time (I think he still is.) It was common knowledge within British journalism-circles. And it was obvious from Wootton’s reporting that he had struck some kind of deal with William, not only to get Sussex exclusives, but to embiggen William.
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My take-home from this story is that this is more or less the British media saying that the Rose Hanbury stories were 100% true which in turn means that the palaces trading stories on Harry and Meghan is true. And they just expected Harry and Meghan to take it. Disgusting.
But the fact that the media is talking and telling on themselves tells me there’s a lot of media figures who don’t want to do the royals dirty work anymore.
It is interesting. Is it just to get it all out before it comes out anyway and sell more by getting the scoop first?
I think that there are quite some people in the media that don’t get on with Wootton and since he’s been ousted feel more free to talk about his shadiness and journalists that aren’t happy with the current media landscape in Britain. The tit-for-tat model.
After the release of spare and Harry’s interviews accusing the palace of leaking against him, there were so many clips on Twitter, can’t remember exactly who said what or whatever, of British shows where people were just gasping in shock and saying oh the palace never leaks information! How dare Harry suggest such a thing! Actually, I think I remember Roya Nikah being one who said that. She was one of many. And they’re all just liars with no credibility and yet they have all the credibility in the BM.
Agreed. The Rose Affair has essentially been confirmed. And William’s campaign to bury it and horse trade that one story for everything Sussex in perpetuity began. So skeevy.
And William’s pathetic global statesman launch is all about feeding the press that will turn on him in a heartbeat if it isn’t fed. And since he was cut off from any Sussex leads—he cut himself off by cutting off contact with them—his deal with the BP devils has come due. It’d be sad if he weren’t so cruel and unstrategic. Like, he didn’t see this coming from a mile away when he sold his soul/sold out his brother?
Dear William,
The monster must always be fed or it will feed on you.
It’s very clear why Wootton became KPs chosen reporter. He had too much dirt on William. I also think that the decision to leak Harry’s proposal to Wootton was to keep him on KPs side as well as a punishment of Harry for his refusal to drop his and Meghan’s lawsuits against the press.
I think palace had a hand in the demise of his career as well. It was clear he wasn’t liked by any of his peers and was a slime ball but I also believe he got too high on power in regards to the palace and they had to get rid of him too.
Dan Wooton seems like a vengeful and unpridictable loose canon. He will not go away quietly. I bet KP is having some serious sleepless nights.
@Brit: The Palace just stopped feeding him information that’s why he became expendable for the Sun. The DM was willing to disregard his offenses in the hope he could give them some scoops but he failed to deliver, that’s why they got rid of him the end.
I wonder whether any of Wootton’s catfishing escapades snared William.
Maybe Peg is gay or at least bi.
Both father and son (king and heir) have been rumored to play for both teams.
William and Charles are clearly gay (or bi)!! William only has gay private secretaries! I don’t know the names right now, but the one they wanted to protect and the other who leaked the bad things about Meghan’s bullying. Also, his name is peg, that says it all…
That reminds me of an old lipstick alley thread from back in the day that said willie had a friend, I think from uni, some boy who may have been Asian ( I can’t really remember the finer details). But basically this friend was very close to willie but the ‘friend; properly kicked off at him at a party. Basically an emotional outburst in front of a lot of people. I dunno, it was a long time ago, but a lot was implied.
This was my first thought. Wootton’s not just a press viper but genuinely a warped individual on a personal level and wouldn’t shift allegiances over someone he’d have an inferiority complex from easily like just becoming his “chosen reporter”. Wootton isn’t someone who would care about that kind of granted favoritism he likes seizing power over people in invasive ways.
He’s too twisted for that to be enough reason alone….unless he got some significant power over the person then he’d switch because he’d feel like he, for lack of being able to think of a better word due to a headache, owns them. And we all know how he’s done this in the past. Through his closeted gay man sting ops.
Gossip Christmas came early. Incredible confirmation of theories made by and on this site.
^^ Apt suspicions were held by and disseminated among the Sussex Squad too, very early on.
Like I said. Support for the Waleses is a sham and empty flattery. This whole institution is nothing but smoke and mirrors. The press are stuck with those bores now and that’s why they are still obsessed with the Sussexes and Harry. Harry and Meghan leaving was literally the smartest thing to do because the press and palace have nothing left. There are no more exclusives and leaks. These random commentators and experts are losing jobs and money. The tabloids are becoming redundant. Removing themselves from that was an play I don’t think the palace and press were ready for and they’re still traumatized by it.
So M&H cratered the industry that was built on her suffering? Yes! Some of it’s still chugging along, but hopefully it will peter out.
@shawna. I 100% believe they made a dent in that hate industry which is why the press want a reconciliation so badly and for Meghan to return to social media because removing themselves has cost photographers money. The leaks and exclusives have stopped. Spare and the documentary got people hip to the game. These random podcasters and grifting commentators lost jobs and are forced to go on YouTube for coins. They have no access to Archie and Lilli either. Elizabeth Holmes literally said that royal watching is becoming boring now. When Meghan didn’t go to the coronation, that was a wake up call that these last few years of them making money was over. They are slowly returning to the pre- Meghan royal watching and coverage and they’re angry about it.
Everyone here at CB called it. The “tin foil tiara” theories are spot on. Most of the theories here are what happened more or less. The family was jealous of Meg from the start, Charles pulled security to force H&M to come back, William struck a deal with Dan to cover up the Rose situation. And yeah, W&K are totally separated, married in name only, probably headed for an official divorce.
10000% separated!
Something rotten in the state of Denmark.
William definitely struck a deal with Wootton – in exchange he both gave him stories about the Sussexes and also KP let Wootton’s rantings about the sussexes go unchecked – and his big payoff came in the form of Sussexit.
Interesting to hear that Wootton used to hate William though. Maybe he’ll turn on him again.
I hope he does. Dan and William deserve each other.
I hope he does turn on them. I’m not sure how long he had been investigated but I like to think that fooling with KP got way too many eyes on him and kicked off his downfall.
And yet KP and CH are waiting on an apology from Harry?????? Please. Based on what we’ve heard (most of which we already knew here), Harry pulled his punches.
@Becks1 And that deal might be related to the payment that William got in 2020 that Harry found out about during his case. And given Wootton’s penchant for blackmailing, he probably has photos of William or phone taps with evidence of the affair and other activities.
@JT – someone needs to make a timeline!
Well, it’s pretty much the same we’ve said about Keen and Willnot, they got along for a while because they both wanted to get rid of Meghan. Didn’t Rotten have a huge crush on Harry? Maybe seeing him happy and in love made him turn to Willnot in the “common enemy” sense. It was both money in it for Rotten as well as trying to get rid of Meghan.
I am a little confused, never heard of Christian Jones,so he is the partner of Jason Knauf !? Or Jason has another partner that was also leaking!?
No, during this time, Christian Jones was the private secretary of Prince William, so his closest aide. So his partner (not a part of the royal household) was the one being paid, and probably the one talking to Wootton, most likely to provide some layer of separation between Wootton and KP.
Jason Knauf worked with Harry / Sussexes from 2016 -2019 as their communications secretary and then switched to working for William when they left in 2020
He also briefed against Meghan and just before the request for an enquiry into the allegations he made against Meghan, it was reported that he stepped down from working with William as his partner was returning to the US in 2021/22. during his time away , he was awarded the Victorian Cross / by the RF in 2022/23.
He resurfaced as working with the Eathshot
https://www.insider.com/who-is-jason-knauf-prince-harry-meghan-markle-2022-12
Jason Knauf , An American worked with Harry / Sussexes from 2016 -2019 as their communications secretary and then switched to working for William when they left in 2020
He also briefed against Meghan and just before the request for an enquiry into the allegations he made against Meghan, it was reported that he stepped down from working with William as his partner was returning to the US in 2021/22. during his time away , he was awarded the Victorian Cross / by the RF in 2022/23.
He resurfaced in 2022/23 as working with PoW Eathshot initiative
https://www.insider.com/who-is-jason-knauf-prince-harry-meghan-markle-2022-23
He seems to be friends with Dan Wotton or at least roll in the same circles
The guy is truly a viper
Knauf was the comms director for everyone at KP. He always worked for William and Kate but just added on Harry and Meghan until they moved to frogmore and separated their offices. Harry figured out that Knauf was a part of the leaking “the current employee” that gets mentioned in the Byline story.
Yes, Knauf was one of the big leakers. But he wasnt the one with the partner taking cash from Wootton.
It’s funny to think of all the fawning and obsequious articles Dan whooton wrote about William, especially now knowing how he really felt. They became more and more unhinged and stopped actually flattering William despite all the bizarre effusion.
Yes, but also there was acidity and sarcasm in them thar articles. Like, if you took everything with a grain of salt, or took everything written to mean the opposite, well, there was gold and tea in Wootton’s and other Rota’s stories. It’s just now that they are taking the veneer, sheen, and deflectors off their words and writing what they (almost) really believe.
I’m starting to think Dan Wootton was not the one doing the blackmailing. Someone with knowledge of Dan’s catfishing and criminal activities was using it to blackmail Dan into being the then-future king and heir’s attack dog. Dan Wootton felt when those in power wanted him to fall. The question we should be asking is whether Dan Wootton has the nerve to sing like a canary with everything taken from him. I feel the threat of jail time is the tool the establishment will use to shut down the canary from singing.
Oooooooh… 🤔
That’s an intriguing theory…
@Petra I call Horsilla as the person with knowledge of Wootton’s catfishing.
@Persephone Yes, I can definitely imagine Piers sharing that info with her over one of their liquid lunches.
That is the worst picture of Rose Hanbury. She is a beautiful woman and she looks really bad there.
You do know…’they’ have to make everyone look bad to make kitty look good…..’that’ family is something else.
I actually kind of like that photo of Rose Hanbury — she has a very interesting face, it’s got “character” as they say. A unique look often tops bland prettiness, imo.
I find it interesting that they say Wooton was “indifferent” to Harry when that was not the case. He had a huge crush on Harry and there were tweets he posted when The Sun leaked the naked vegas photos among other now deleted tweets.
He switched because it now suited his financial interest to do so. That wasn’t the case previously but because of that his allegiance was essentially bought.
I wish I could read this whole article but it’s behind a paywall. This is such a big story but is it going viral? Not quite? Anyways it’s interesting that Dan Wootton personally hated William but switched his allegiance to William after it became more profitable to go after Harry and Meghan. I wonder if he’ll ever talk to the media? He doesn’t seem like someone who would be willing to take the blame for everything.
Some of Williams facial expressions are quite scary ,imagine what he is like behind closed doors .
I am an elderly lady and it is my wish the whole truth comes out one day .
I honestly have never seen the hatred and smearing campaign of Harry and Meghan ,anything like it in my lifetime .
Dianas was bad but she was still loved and supported by millions .
They definitely had her killed though .
I just want the truth to come out and Harry and Meghan can live their life in peace with their children.