Prince Harry all smiles as visa documents unsealed following drug controversy
Prince Harry moved to the US with Meghan Markle in 2020
Prince Harry was all smiles in Santa Barbara, California on Tuesday, just hours after heavily redacted documents regarding his US visa application were released.
The Duke of Sussex’s visa application has sparked speculation over whether he received special treatment during his move to the United States in 2020.
The controversy stems from Prince Harry’s own admissions about past drug use in his memoir, Spare. Harry spoke candidly about his past drug use, saying he had tried cocaine, marijuana and magic mushrooms in the past.
His remarks sparked legal action from the right-wing Heritage Foundation. The American think tank sought to determine whether Harry disclosed his drug use on his visa application – something that could have led to his denial of entry into the US.
Prince Harry visa documents unsealed
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released heavily redacted documents on Tuesday (March 18). However, despite documents being released, they didn’t reveal new information about Harry’s immigration case.
Prince Harry’s actual immigration records remain private. But, in the redacted documents, the DHS said the duke’s application followed all the “applicable rules and regulations”. It also insisted there was no evidence he received special treatment.
But, there are still many unanswered questions – especially over whether he admitted his past drug use in the application.
In photos obtained by the MailOnline, Harry looked happy in a lowkey appearance in California on Tuesday.
The visa decision is a major blow to the Heritage Foundation. They had pushed for full disclosure of Harry’s visa records, arguing that the public had a right to know whether he entered the US legally.
The American public deserves to know how he entered the country and if he did so legally.
Despite the ruling, Heritage Foundation’s Nile Gardiner insists the battle isn’t over.
“These documents do not in any way alter the big picture, which is that Harry’s visa application needs to be released to the American public in full,” Gardiner told the Daily Mail.
“The American public deserves to know how he entered the country and if he did so legally.”
He went on to criticise the Biden administration: “These documents were written under Joe Biden’s administration and offer a complete lack of transparency and accountability. There is a very strong possibility, in my view, that the Trump administration will release Harry’s visa file in a full, unredacted and complete way.”
Prince Harry’s immigration status remains private
Despite the court order to unseal documents, Harry’s actual visa application and immigration file remain classified.
The DHS maintains that disclosing his immigration status could expose him to harassment.
“To release such information would potentially expose the individual to harm from members of the public who might have a reason to manipulate or harass individuals depending on their status in the United States,” chief freedom of information officer within the DHS Jarrod Panter stated in a declaration submitted in April 2024.
It remains unclear what type of visa Prince Harry holds.
US President Donald Trump previously suggested that Harry could face consequences if he returned to office.
However, in a surprising change of tone after returning to power, Trump told the New York Post: “I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”
The remark refers to Meghan Markle’s past criticism of Trump, where she labelled him a “misogynist”.
Prince Harry’s confessions about drug use
In his controversial memoir Spare, Prince Harry revealed that he experimented with drugs as early as age 17.
“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 wrote.
“Cocaine didn’t do anything for me. Marijuana is different, that actually really did help me.”
Read more: Fresh twist after calls for Prince Harry’s US visa to be revoked amid claims he lied about drug use
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