Harry's US visa won't be made public after bid to release it amid drug admission
Prince Harry's US visa records will not be made public following a bid to release them after he admitted drug use in his memoir, Spare.
Washington-based think tank, the Heritage Foundation, demanded the release of the records by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a Freedom of Information Act request.
In the US visa application, an admission of drug use is usually grounds for inadmissibility. The royal has previously said he used cocaine, mushrooms and other drugs.
However, the DHS ruled "this office does not find a public interest in disclosure sufficient to override the subject’s privacy interests".
Nile Gardiner from the Heritage Foundation hit out at the decision and said they would be contesting it.
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Prince Harry at the Coronation last month (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)In a statement on Twitter, he said: "This response to The Heritage Foundation’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request shows an appalling lack of transparency by the Biden Administration.
"The Department of Homeland Security's efforts to stonewall the Heritage Foundation’s Freedom of Information request are unacceptable, and we will be contesting their position.
"We expected to have to fight every step of this case in federal court and will continue to press for transparency and accountability for the American people.
"Ultimately the release of Prince Harry’s US immigration records will be decided in federal court by a federal judge.
Harry and Meghan have lived in the United States since 2020 (Getty Images for 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala)"We are determined to prevail in a matter of clear public interest, on an important issue that matters to the American people: the application and enforcement of America’s immigration laws without fear or favor."
In January and during his Spare book tour, Harry spoke about his drug use revealing he first took cocaine at 17 while on a shooting weekend.
He also admitted to hallucinating during a celebrity-filled event in California and smoking cannabis after his first date with Meghan Markle.
The Heritage Foundation want Harry's visa application to be released so the US taxpayer can understand whether the royal declared his drug use.
The conservative think tank's director Mike Howell previously said: "This request is in the public interest in light of the potential revocation of Prince Harry’s visa for illicit substance use and further questions regarding the Prince's drug use and whether he was properly vetted before entering the United States."
Harry settled in the US with wife Meghan in 2020 after the pair quit the UK and royal duties for a new life in America.
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They now live in Montecito, California with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
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