The conservative Heritage Foundation had campaigned to have Prince Harry’s Visa application released after he admitted to taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms

A US judge has released Prince Harry’s US Visa documents following a long campaign from a conservative organisation.

Conservative US think tank the Heritage Foundation launched their legal case to have the application made public after questioning why his visa was granted after he admitted in his book Spare taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms. The think tank has argued that Harry either received special treatment from the previous Biden administration or had lied on his immigration forms. The conservative organisation had argued his automatic right to privacy was outweighed by “intense public interest” in whether he received special treatment while filing his application when he and Meghan Markle moved to the US in 2020.

In a new ruling issued today, a federal judge ruled in the foundation’s favour and said documents related to his Visa application could be unsealed, allowing a host of files from the case to be immediately revealed on Tuesday. But, critically, they are heavily redacted and do not include the application itself, leaving many questions unanswered.

Prince Harry has been embroiled in a row over his US visa ( 
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The court documents, which were previously unseen, contain a statement addressing the right to public access. They read: “Plaintiffs allege that the records should be disclosed as public confidence in the government would suffer or to establish whether the Duke was granted preferential treatment. This speculation by Plaintiffs does not point to any evidence of government misconduct.

“The records, as explained above, do not support such an allegation but show the regulatory process involved in reviewing and granting immigration benefits which was done in compliance with the Immigration and Nationality Act and applicable rules and regulations.”

While the US government has addressed concerns about its procedures, it remains unclear whether the Duke’s visa application was handled with any special consideration. One of the unresolved questions remains whether Harry, in his application, truthfully disclosed his past drug use – something he famously confessed in his autobiography.

The question regarding whether he checked the “no” box on the visa form concerning drug use remains unanswered. The Heritage Foundation think tank has repeatedly raised the issue of whether the royal may have lied about his drug use on his visa application or, alternatively, whether he received preferential treatment under the Biden administration.

Questions remain over several aspects of the Prince’s Visa application ( 
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US visa applications specifically ask the individual about current and past drug use, which can have a detrimental impact on the progress of the application. Prolific drug use can lead to applications being rejected, however, immigration officers use their discretion against a range of factors.

A September 2024 ruling from the same judge found that the public did not have a strong interest in the disclosure of Harry’s immigration records, but the Heritage Foundation wanted the judgment to be changed. Despite previously refusing the FOI request, lawyers for the Department of Homeland Security in February agreed to release redacted versions of the forms.

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.

Donald Trump has not weighed in on Prince Harry’s Visa application controversy ( 
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AP)In February, President Donald Trump ruled out deporting Harry from the US, telling The New York Post: “I’ll leave him alone.” He added: “He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.” The Duchess of Sussex has previously been a vocal critic of former reality star Mr 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.”