- A US court has ordered the release of Prince Harry's immigration records
- Heritage Foundation claims Harry hid drug use on his visa application
- The ruling follows an appeal after a 2024 decision
A US court has ordered that Prince Harry’s immigration records be made public by the end of Tuesday.
District Judge Carl Nichols issued the order following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request from the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, DC. The foundation claims that Prince Harry concealed his past drug use, which could have disqualified him from obtaining a US visa.
The allegations are based on the Duke of Sussex’s own admissions in his memoir Spare, where he acknowledged using substances like cocaine, marijuana, and psychedelic mushrooms.
In the book, published in January 2023, Prince Harry revealed that he first tried cocaine at age 17. He wrote, “It wasn’t much fun, and it didn’t make me particularly happy, as it seemed to make everyone around me, but it did make me feel different, and that was the main goal.” He also described marijuana use, saying, “Cocaine didn’t do anything for me,” but “marijuana is different, that actually really did help me.”
US visa application forms specifically inquire about past and present drug use. Applicants who admit to drug use may face rejection of their visa application, though immigration officers have discretion to assess other factors before making a final decision.
The Heritage Foundation argues that Prince Harry misled US immigration authorities about his drug use, which could result in a lifetime ban from the US. Court documents show that the Department of Homeland Security must release the requested immigration records by the end of Tuesday.
The BBC has reached out to the White House and the Duke’s office for comment.
This ruling follows a 2024 decision by the same judge, who previously determined there was insufficient public interest to release Prince Harry’s immigration records. The Heritage Foundation appealed that decision and successfully pushed for the court’s reversal.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, moved to the US in 2020 after stepping down from their royal duties. It is unclear which visa Harry entered the country on, though Meghan is a US citizen.
In February, former President Donald Trump ruled out deporting Prince Harry, telling the New York Post, “I’ll leave him alone… He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.” Meghan has been an outspoken critic of Trump, calling him a “misogynist.”
