Prince Harry
US authorities refuse to release the visa file
While his trial against the media group Mirror Group Newspapers is currently underway in London, there is also legal trouble for Prince Harry in his adopted home of the USA.
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Prince Harry’s visa file will not be released. The responsible ministry has rejected an application. But the argument goes on.
Prince Harry’s (38) visa file remains under lock and key for the time being. How among other things the New York Post reported, US officials have refused to release the documents. The conservative think tank Heritage Foundation went to court to find out whether the Duke of Sussex had disclosed past drug use when he immigrated to the United States. Because that would be a reason to refuse a visa – as well as a lie. So the question is whether Harry is legally in the United States and can continue to live there. He lives in Montecito, California, with his American wife Meghan (41) and their two children.
Public interest versus privacy
In his biography “Reserve”, Prince Harry described the use of cocaine and cannabis. The influential conservative US think tank Heritage Foundation had therefore demanded that the Department of Homeland Security hand over the immigration documents to the district court in Washington. Judge Carl Nichols declined to issue an injunction last week, instead asking the US government to respond to the conservative think-tank by June 13. Department of Homeland Security senior director Jimmy Wolfrey said: “To the extent records exist, this Office does not believe that public interest in disclosure is sufficient to override the privacy interests of the data subject. “
However, Prince Harry cannot finally breathe a sigh of relief. Because the Heritage Foundation does not want to give up and wants to lodge further appeals. Director Nile Gardiner announced that he would now go to federal court to have the visa file disclosed.
Did Harry declare his drug use?
It’s not clear at this time what questions Harry had to answer for a visa after moving from the UK to the US in 2020. Usually, such an application also includes questions about current and past drug use. If it was lied about, this would be a reason to possibly revoke his visa.