A US judge has ruled that Prince Harry’s visa application will remain confidential, despite his admissions of past drug use in his memoir, Spare. The Duke of Sussex openly discussed using marijuana, cocaine, and psychedelic mushrooms in the book released in January 2023.
The conservative Heritage Foundation had filed a lawsuit seeking to compel the government to disclose the prince’s immigration records to determine whether his drug use was properly vetted during his entry into the US. However, US District Judge Carl Nichols stated that “the public does not have a strong interest in disclosure of the duke’s immigration records,” emphasizing that Harry has a legitimate privacy interest regarding his immigration status.
Prince Harry moved to the US in January 2020 after stepping back from royal duties with his wife, Meghan Markle. The Heritage Foundation argued that extensive media coverage of Harry’s drug use raised questions about the vetting process for his visa, noting that US visa applications inquire about past drug use, which can lead to rejection.
Judge Nichols concluded that the privacy interest of Prince Harry outweighs any public interest in revealing his immigration records.
