Deadline looms for Prince Harry’s US visa records.
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A US judge has given immigration officials until the end of Tuesday, March 18, to release Prince Harry’s visa paperwork, after a think-tank claimed the royal’s past drug use should have barred him from the country.
The ruling
District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington DC issued the order following a Freedom of Information request by the Heritage Foundation. The group alleges the Duke of Sussex concealed his history of taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms – details he revealed in his best-selling memoir Spare – when he applied for a US visa.
In a previous 2024 ruling, the same judge had decided there was not enough public interest to justify disclosing the prince’s private documents. Undeterred, the Heritage Foundation challenged that decision, insisting Harry’s admissions in Spare could mean he was ineligible for entry.
‘Cocaine, marijuana, and psychedelic mushrooms’: Drug-use claims from Spare
In Spare (published January 2023 by Transworld Publishers), Prince Harry wrote that he tried cocaine aged 17, explaining it “wasn’t much fun… but it did make me feel different, and that was the main goal.” He added that “cocaine didn’t do anything for me,” yet “marijuana is different, that actually really did help me.”
US immigration rules
US visa applicants must disclose current and past drug use on official forms. Admissions can lead to refusals, but consular officers have discretion in final decisions. The Heritage Foundation alleges Harry’s entries were incomplete or misleading. If true – and if not granted a waiver – this could, in theory, lead to a lifetime ban. However, there is no public confirmation about the details of the prince’s paperwork or exactly which visa he used to move stateside in 2020.
White House and palace silence
The White House and Prince Harry’s representatives have not commented on the case yet. It remains unclear whether the release of the records will provide the clarity demanded by campaigners – or simply show that the Duke of Sussex followed the rules like any other applicant.
Trump’s take
US President Donald Trump once dismissed suggestions Harry might be deported over his drug admissions, showing empathy for the prince. He told the New York Post in February: “I’ll leave him alone… He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex – an American citizen – has been openly critical of Mr Trump in the past, labelling him a “misogynist” before she married into the Royal Family.
Royal reasons for leaving
Prince Harry settled in the States in 2020 with his wife Meghan after stepping back from royal duties. The couple’s reasons were no secret – lack of privacy and intense media scrutiny were chief among them – but the questions now revolve around whether the prince ticked the right boxes when crossing the Atlantic.
What’s next?
All eyes are on the US Department of Homeland Security and whether it will reveal the full story behind Harry’s visa. The official documents could land on the public record by Tuesday’s deadline. -or remain sealed if the judge’s order is successfully challenged. Either way, the Duke’s American adventure looks set for another chapter of drama.
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