Prince Harry will see parts of his US visa application released today after a bombshell ruling by a judge – and royal expert Jennie Bond has her say on how the Duke of Sussex will be feeling
Prince Harry during a recent appearance in New York (Image: Getty Images)
Prince Harry is facing a nervous wait as he prepares for the release of files relating to his US visa application after a bombshell legal ruling. Judge Carl Nichols has ordered the release of the documents as part of an ongoing Freedom of Information (FOI) request brought by conservative US think tank the Heritage Foundation.
Harry’s reference to taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms in his book Spare prompted the Washington DC organisation to question why he was allowed into the US in 2020. Judge Nichols has ordered the US Department of Homeland Security to release the redacted versions of the documents no later than tomorrow.
Harry and Meghan in Vancouver last month (Image: PA)
The Heritage Foundation alleged the duke may have concealed past illegal drug use that should have disqualified him from obtaining a US visa. They previously argued answers on Harry’s prior drug use in his visa application should have been disclosed as they could raise questions over the US government’s integrity. And with the release of documents hanging over his head, royal expert Jennie Bond has shared how she thinks Harry will be feeling.
The former BBC royal correspondent told the Mirror: “It will probably make him feel that wherever he goes in the world, someone will have it in for him. Quite honestly, if drug taking precluded anyone from living in the States, half of LA would be deported. How many people answer those visa questions totally truthfully? And what does it really matter?
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We know Harry has taken drugs. He has said so. He probably regrets being so open now because this is a rather vindictive hassle he doesn’t need. What does this “think tank” hope to establish by pursuing him so doggedly?”
Donald Trump has previously said he will ‘leave’ Harry alone (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“Are they trying to reveal double standards? Well, welcome to the real world. I hope — for once — that we can believe Trump when he says he is going to leave Harry alone.”
American, telling The New York Post: I’ll leave him alone.” He added: “He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”
Harry’s wife Meghan has previously been a vocal critic of former reality star Trump and called him ‘divisive’ and a ‘misogynist’. Meghan said she was backing his rival Hillary Clinton in the 2016 US presidential election and suggested she would leave the US if he won.
In his controversial memoir, Harry said cocaine “didn’t do anything for me”, adding: “Marijuana is different, that actually really did help me.” Mr Trump said in a GB News interview with Nigel Farage in March last year that Harry should not receive preferential treatment.
Asked if the duke should have “special privileges” if he was found to have lied on his application, Mr Trump had said: “No. We’ll have to see if they know something about the drugs, and if he lied they’ll have to take appropriate action.”
