Key Points
- Documents related to Prince Harry's US visa application must be released, a US court has ruled.
- Heritage Foundation alleged Harry may have concealed past illegal drug use.
- In February, US President Donald Trump ruled out deporting Harry from the US.
Files relating to Prince Harry's United States visa application must be made public, a US court has ruled.
Judge Carl Nichols ordered the release of the documents as part of an ongoing Freedom of Information (FOI) request brought by conservative US think tank the Heritage Foundation.
Prince Harry's reference to taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms in his book Spare prompted the Washington DC organisation to question why he was allowed into the US in 2020.
If Harry lied about previous drug use on his US visa application, "appropriate action" must be taken, US President Donald Trump has previously said.
The royal tell-tale memoir became the fastest-selling non-fiction title in UK publishing history with 400,000 hardback copies selling on its first day, following its January release. Source: Getty / Richard Baker
It comes after a September 2024 ruling from the same judge that the public did not have a strong interest in the disclosure of Harry's immigration records, but the Heritage Foundation wanted the judgment to be changed.
Despite previously refusing the FOI request, lawyers for the Department of Homeland Security in February agreed to release redacted versions of the forms.
"Specifically, defendant would propose redacting all information in these items that would reveal information that the court has determined defendant can withhold," department lawyer John Bardo wrote in a court filing.
The Heritage Foundation alleged Prince Harry may have concealed past illegal drug use that should have disqualified him from obtaining a US visa. Source: AAP / Mischa Schoemaker / DPPA / Sipa USA
They previously argued answers on Harry's past drug use in his visa application should have been disclosed as they could raise questions over the US government's integrity.
In February, Trump ruled out deporting Harry from the US, telling The New York Post: "I'll leave him alone."
"He's got enough problems with his wife. She's terrible," he said.
Meghan said she was backing his rival Hillary Clinton in the 2016 US presidential election and suggested she would leave the US if he won.
In his controversial memoir, Harry said cocaine "didn't do anything for me", adding: "Marijuana is different, that actually really did help me."
Trump said in a GB News interview with Nigel Farage in March last year that Harry should not receive preferential treatment.
Asked if Harry should have "special privileges" if found to have lied on his application, Trump had said: "No. We'll have to see if they know something about the drugs, and if he lied they'll have to take appropriate action."
