Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 'back-up plan' if Donald Trump kicks Duke out amid drugs row

Donald Trump has previously hinted that he wouldn’t go easy on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle should he return to the White House. As his victory is made official, the Mirror looks at the Sussexes’ potential back up plan

Donald Trump has now been officially elected as the next President of the United States – and it’s thought he could stay true to one of his vows made against Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Trump, 78, warned he would take ‘appropriate action’ with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – which could potentially see them booted out of the US altogether. If this is the case, then it’s believed the couple could have a ‘back up plan’ in place, with preparations already in place should the worst come to pass.

The Republican previously addressed passages in Prince Harry’s bestselling 2023 memoir Spare, which sees the Duke of Sussex detailing his experiences with psychedelic drugs – which could rule havoc for his visa. In one memorable passage, Harry, 40, recounted an experience with magic mushrooms at a Hollywood party, remembering: “I stared at the bin. It stared back. ‘What-staring? ‘ Then it became… a head. I stepped on the pedal and the head opened its mouth. A huge open grin.”

With a candidness rarely seen among senior members of the Royal family, the father-of-two also confessed that, while cocaine ‘didn’t do anything’ for him, “Marijuana is different, that actually really did help me.” Readers were gripped by the no-holds-barred look at Harry’s life away from his Royal duties – but it’s understood that formerly impeached President Trump was decidedly less than impressed.

Trump has now won the election (
Image:
AP)

Royal expert Hugo Vickers told The Sun : “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he suddenly said ‘Right, I’m sending Prince Harry out of this country’. And the reasons that he would use would be the drug issue, because Prince Harry has admitted to taking marijuana, cocaine, magic mushrooms – and may not have filled that in on his visa form.”

Hugo added: “I think it’s very wise to take all the possibilities into account [and look to live elsewhere]. Looking at it from the outside, it makes perfect sense that they should have a backup plan. But Meghan is very US-based and [Harry being kicked out] would be a problem for them.”

It would appear, however, that the Sussexes could already have somewhere in mind – their new holiday home in Portugal, close to one owned by Harry’s beloved younger cousin, Princess Eugenie, 34, and her husband Jack Brooksbank, 38. The Mail Online previously reported that this purchase could have allowed the Duke and Suchess to obtain a ‘Golden Visa’ – which would allow them visa-free access to the European Union’s Schengen area.

However, another royal expert, Richard Fitzwilliams, told the Daily Express that it’s unlikely Portugal will become the Sussexes’ new permanent home. Fitzwilliams explained: “I don’t think that the home in Portugal is intended as a permanent base to replace California.

“Harry was extremely foolish to discuss his drug taking in Spare both in interviews and in the memoir, available in paperback. However, the Sussexes have kept a relatively low profile during the Election, urging Americans to vote but not being explicit as to whom for.

He continued: “At one time it was thought that Meghan might enter politics but we have seen no sign of this. It is most unlikely that Trump would risk an embarrassing episode involving the royal family by expelling Harry, if it was discovered that he had not revealed his drug taking on his Visa application.”

During an interview with GB News earlier this year, Trump was quizzed by interviewer Nigel Farage as to whether there would be any ‘special privileges’ for Harry. Trump, who was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records back in May, replied: “No. We’ll have to see if they know something about the drugs, and if he lied they’ll have to take appropriate action.”

Farage then pressed: “Appropriate action? Which might mean…not staying in America?” Considering this, Trump responded: “Oh I don’t know. You’ll have to tell me. You just have to tell me. You would have thought they would have known this a long time ago.”

Meanwhile, back in February, during the four-day Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington DC, Trump told the Daily Express US that he believed the Royal Family had been ‘too gracious’ to Prince Harry – hinting that he would not protect him should he return to power, as he felt President Joe Biden had done. Trump remarked: “I wouldn’t protect him. He betrayed the Queen. That’s unforgivable. He would be on his own if it was down to me.” He continued: “I think they have been too gracious to him after what he has done.”

A lawsuit filed by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation previously argued that the Government should release records about Harry’s visa US application to show whether or not his drug use was disclosed. The Washington-based foundation argued that ‘widespread and continuous’ coverage of the Duke’s drug use called into question whether or not he had been ‘properly vetted’ before being allowed into the US. The group asserted that, under US law, drug use ‘generally renders such a person inadmissible for entry’.

However, back in September, a US judge ruled that Harry’s application should remain private. Carl Nichols stated that “the public does not have a strong interest in disclosure of the duke’s immigration records”. He added: “Like any foreign national, the duke has a legitimate privacy interest in his immigration status.”