Prince Harry is said to be in winning position after latest development in the US visa case dispute.
The Duke of Sussex’s visa files have partially been unsealed, with significant redaction, following a US judge’s order to release the documents in response to a freedom of information request by the Heritage Foundation.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s crucial details are still private, but the decision has sparked concerns that Harry would be exposed to “harm and harassment”.
A conservative US think tank accused the Prince of concealing past drug use when moving to the US in 2020. The claims centre around revelations in Harry’s 2023 memoir Spare.
In the book, the Duke penned that he first tried cocaine at the age of 17, adding: “It wasn’t much fun, but it did make me feel different, and that was the main goal.”
He went on explaining: “cocaine didn’t do anything for me”, but “marijuana is different, that actually really did help me”.
last year, Judge Carl Nichols ruled in favour of the DHS and said public interest did not outweigh Harry’s right to privacy. But in a reversal last week, he ordered the government to file redacted versions application documents to the court docket.
Now, a very little information has been disclosed in the documents. No details have been given as to what the Duke put on his immigration form.
The decision seems to save King Charles III’s younger son Harry from a potential harm as a chief freedom of information officer within the US Department for Homeland Security (DHS) argued that releasing the Duke’s visa documents “would potentially expose the individual to harm from members of the public”.
The declaration from Jarrod Panter, submitted to the court in April last year, reads: “To release such information would potentially expose the individual to harm from members of the public who might have a reason to manipulate or harass individuals depending on their status in the United States.”
He went on claiming, “To release his exact status could subject him to reasonably foreseeable harm in the form of harassment as well as unwanted contact by the media and others.”
On the other hand, President Donald Trump has already revealed his thoughts about Harry’s future in the US, saying he would not deport the Duke.
Harry must be taking a breath of relief as something unpleasant has ended for the time being.
