A lawsuit aimed at making Prince Harry’s confidential visa records public is set for its first court hearing since Donald Trump 2.0. The Heritage Foundation, an American think tank, has revived its case to have the Duke of Sussex’s immigration documents released.
The group has raised concerns about how Harry, along with his wife Meghan Markle, was able to enter the U.S. in 2020 despite admitting in his 2023 memoir Spare to using cocaine, marijuana, and psychedelic mushrooms.
The Duke acknowledged that cocaine “didn’t do anything for me,” but described marijuana as being helpful.
The Heritage Foundation has alleged that Harry either misrepresented his drug use on his visa application or received preferential treatment from the Biden administration.
Judge Carl J. Nichols has ordered lawyers representing both the Heritage Foundation and Harry to meet at a federal court in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, February 5, according to Newsweek.
Under U.S. immigration law, visa applicants are required to disclose any history of drug use. Providing false information on visa applications can result in deportation. The Heritage Foundation is seeking to review Harry’s immigration records to determine what he disclosed regarding his drug use.
‘I wouldn’t protect him…’: Trump on Harry’s visa problem
Former President Donald Trump has also suggested that Prince Harry could face deportation if it is proven he lied on his visa application. “I wouldn’t protect him… That’s unforgivable. He would be on his own if it was down to me,” Trump said in an interview with the Sunday Express at the time.
Nile Gardiner, director of Heritage’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, has called on Donald Trump to release Harry’s immigration records. “I’ll be urging the president to release Prince Harry’s immigration records, and the president does have that legal authority to do that,” he told the New York Post.
“Donald Trump is ushering in a new era of strict border control enforcement, and you know, Prince Harry should be held fully to account as he has admitted to extensive illegal drug use. My firm expectation is that action will be taken.”
“We’ll have to see if they know something about the drugs, and if he lied, they’ll have to take appropriate action,” Trump added in an interview with Nigel Farage on GB News.
Previously, the Heritage Foundation had filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security after its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain Harry’s visa records was denied. Judge Nichols ruled that “the public does not have a strong interest in disclosure of the duke’s immigration records.”
