Prince Harry may have to leave US as judge sets deadline for release of visa files amid drug use claims
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Prince Harry may have to leave the United States as Judge Carl Nichols of Washington has set a deadline for releasing his visa files. This could make things clear if he lied on his immigration paperwork, per Radar Online.
The judge has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to make the files public by Tuesday, March 18, after a lawsuit was filed by a right-wing organization, per the outlet.
Judge orders Prince Harry's visa files to be made public
Right-wing Heritage Foundation sued the Department of Homeland Security in 2024 after they refused a Freedom of Information request for Prince Harry’s files.
Heritage also claimed that Prince Harry might have lied on the forms under the section that asked if he had been a drug user.
Judge Carl Nichols approved the redactions which were suggested by the Department of Homeland Security and said they were "appropriate", according to Daily Mail.
Lawyers for the Department of Homeland Security had earlier said that three items will be released with redactions but a fourth should remain private. Even though it is not clear what material will be released, it could have forms indicating if Harry said "no" when asked if he was a drug user.
Judge Nichols said in his order, "The government has provided the court with its proposed redactions to the documents…those redactions appearing appropriate, the government is ORDERED to lodge on the docket the redacted versions of those documents no later than March 18, 2025."
The case has resulted in embarrassment and consternation for Prince Harry and raised questions on whether he could be deported if he was found to have lied, the outlet reported.
Donald Trump says he will not order Prince Harry to leave the US
President Donald Trump recently said that he would not order Prince Harry to leave the US, as he took a swipe at Harry's wife Meghan Markle, and called her "terrible".
Moreover, the POTUS said he was just giving Harry a break because "he's got enough problems with his wife", per Daily Mail.
Judge Nichols had in September 2024 denied the request of the Heritage Foundation to disclose all of Harry's visa documents. But he reconsidered his stance and expressed his intention to make as much information public as possible while respecting Harry's privacy.
After that hearing, Nile Gardiner, the director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at Heritage, appealed to the president to make the files public. Gardiner said the president had put "border security and the application of the rule of law a top priority".
Prince Harry has been open about his drug use and once revealed that cannabis helped him recover from the trauma of his mother, Princess Diana's death.
He said that by using the psychedelic drug, ayahuasca, he realized that his mother wanted him to be "happy", per Daily Mail.
These references had prompted the Heritage Foundation to question why he was allowed into the US in 2020.
Heritage Foundation claimed Harry could have lied if his US visa application in March 2020 shows he ticked the "no" box on questions about his drug use.
In previous legal filings, DHS claimed the documents are "particularly sensitive" because they would "reveal Harry's (immigration) status in the United States".
The agency wrote: "Even though he is a public figure, Prince Harry still maintains a privacy interest in these types of records and in his immigration or visa status generally."
