Prince Harry’s future in the US is back in the spotlight as Donald Trump has called for the release of royal immigration files.
The 40-year-old has been living in the US with his wife Meghan Markle since 2020 after saying they wanted to live a quieter life to raise their children.
Life hasn’t always been easy for Harry, however, with the Heritage Foundation questioning why he was allowed to enter the country given his recent public record of using illegal drugs.
As a result, the group filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security after a Freedom of Information request was denied. They argued that Harry’s file was in the public interest, but lost their case on September 23 after Judge Carl Nichols ruled that it should remain private.
A further motion was filed in October by Samuel Dewey, a lawyer for Heritage, in an attempt to overturn the ruling, arguing that releasing the files would help the public better understand how the department operates and how its officials exercise discretion.
Now that Donald Trump has replaced Joe Biden, whose administration supported the royal, Heritage Foundation lawyers are hoping the court’s decision will be overturned.
This could prove problematic for Harry, given that Trump has previously said he wants the Briton deported if he is found to have falsified information on his visa application – even though his wife is American and his children have dual citizenship.
“I will call on the president to release Prince Harry’s immigration records and the president has the legal authority to do that,” said Nile Gardiner, director of Heritage’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom.
Donald Trump is ushering in a new era of tight border controls, and Prince Harry should be held fully accountable for his admission to widespread illegal drug use.
Trump has previously said he will not protect Harry because he “betrayed the Queen.”
