A US judge has ruled that Prince Harry’s visa application should remain confidential, despite his admissions of drug use in his memoir, Spare.
The Duke of Sussex mentioned using cocaine, marijuana, and psychedelic mushrooms in his book. This led the conservative Heritage Foundation, a Washington think tank, to question why he was granted entry into the US in 2020.
In a ruling shared in court documents on Monday, US District Judge Carl Nichols stated that the public does not have a strong interest in disclosing the duke’s immigration records. He emphasized that, like any foreign national, Prince Harry has a valid privacy interest in his immigration status.
Judge Nichols noted that Harry’s public comments about his travel and drug use did not eliminate his right to keep specific details about his immigration status private.
The Heritage Foundation filed the lawsuit against the US Department of Homeland Security after their Freedom of Information Act request was denied. They claimed the issue was of significant public interest.
In his ruling, Nichols argued that the public’s interest in accessing Harry’s immigration records is outweighed by his privacy rights. He explained that public disclosure of records related to a single admission of a foreign national would provide minimal information about the government’s general immigration policies.
Some parts of the judgment have been redacted, including details that Prince Harry has not made public regarding his immigration status and visa application.
In his memoir, the duke stated that cocaine “didn’t do anything for me” but added that marijuana “really did help me.”
The Heritage Foundation contended that US law generally renders individuals with such admissions inadmissible to the country. They argued that the answers regarding Prince Harry’s prior drug use in his visa application should be disclosed, as they could raise questions about the integrity of the US government’s immigration process.
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