A U.S. judge has ruled that Prince Harry’s immigration records must be made public by Tuesday, March 18. This decision comes after people started questioning whether Harry was honest about his past drug use when he applied to live in the United States.
Harry, who was born in the UK, moved to the U.S. in 2020 with his wife, Meghan Markle, after they stepped down from their royal duties. They now live in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. However, after Harry released his book Spare, where he admitted to using drugs like cocaine, marijuana, and psychedelic mushrooms, people started asking if he mentioned this in his visa application. Usually, drug use can make it harder to get a visa, but some people can still be allowed in under special circumstances.
A conservative group called the Heritage Foundation wanted to see Harry’s immigration records, arguing that if he didn’t tell the truth about his drug use, he might have received special treatment. They filed a request to get his documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
At first, Judge Carl Nichols ruled last September that there was no reason to release Harry’s immigration records. But the Heritage Foundation kept pushing, and now the judge has changed his decision. He has ordered the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to release a redacted (partially blacked-out) version of Harry’s visa application.
It’s not clear what the documents will show. If they reveal that Harry did not tell the full truth about his past drug use, it could raise questions about whether he should have been allowed to move to the U.S.
This ruling comes as Meghan Markle is also in the news for her media projects. Her new Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, received poor reviews, but Netflix has already filmed a second season, which will come out later this year.
