Bombshell US court ruling orders Prince Harry's visa application files be made public by Tuesday
16 March 2025, 08:07
A bombshell US court ruling has ordered files relating to Prince Harry's visa application be made public by Tuesday.
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A judge has agreed to release redacted documents as part of an ongoing campaign by the Heritage Foundation who are campaigning for transparency on the matter.
The conservative think tank's alleged that the duke may have concealed past illegal drug use that should have disqualified him from living in America.
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.
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.
Judge Nichols ordered the US Department of Homeland Security to release the redacted versions of the documents no later than Tuesday, according to court filings dated March 15.
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 the duke may have concealed past illegal drug use that should have disqualified him from obtaining a US visa.
They previously argued answers on Harry's prior drug use in his visa application should have been disclosed as they could raise questions over the US government's integrity.
In February, President Donald Trump ruled out deporting Harry from the US, telling The New York Post: "I'll leave him alone." He added: "He's got enough problems with his wife. She's terrible."
The Duchess of Sussex has previously been a vocal critic of former reality star Mr Trump and called him "divisive" and a "misogynist".
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."
Mr Trump said in a GB News interview with Nigel Farage in March last year that Harry should not receive preferential treatment.
Asked if the duke should have "special privileges" if he was found to have lied on his application, Mr 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."
