PRINCE Harry’s secret visa documents have been released but large sections are redacted – and a key question remains.
The US government had until the end of the day to publish the previously unseen papers relating to Harry’s immigration status.
The heavily redacted court documents 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, 8 U.S.C. § 1103 and applicable rules and regulation.”
In a surprising twist, pages and pages of the highly anticipated files have been redacted.
The key question regarding whether or not Harry did tick the ‘no’ box about drug use, remains to be answered.
However, the files did conclude the duke was not given special treatment.
But, the majority of a secret hearing in April last year was blacked out.
Judge Carl Nichols ruled that the redacted documents should be made public by today at the latest but did not give a specific time frame.
The Heritage Foundation think tank has been seeking their release after Harry admitted using drugs in his memoir Spare and Netflix show.
They suggest he may have lied about using drugs on his visa application or been given special treatment by the previous White House administration under President Joe Biden.
President Donald Trump last month ruled out seeking to deport Harry while taking a swipe at his wife Meghan Markle, who he described as “terrible”.
On Saturday, court papers filed showed Judge Nichols made the ruling that Harry’s redacted docs would have to be made public.
The legal battle began after groups believed Harry should not have been allowed into the US after revealing his drug consumption.
In his bombshell memoir, Harry admitted cocaine “didn’t do anything for me”, but “Marijuana is different, that actually really did help me”.
It triggered an investigation into how he was allowed to enter the US in 2020, when he quit the UK with Meghan.
Heritage’s Nile Gardiner previously told The Telegraph: “Anyone who applies to the United States has to be truthful on their application, and it is not clear that is the case with Prince Harry.”
This comes after Judge Nichols previously ruled in September last year the files would remain private.
He stated there was not a strong enough public interest to see Harry’s docs released.
But the latest development was pushed by lawyers for the Department of Homeland Security in February.
They argued “iron-glad guardrails” were broken and certain evidence should have been reviewed in court, which were not, which meant their ability to build a case against Harry’s appeal were “severely compromised”.
Trump WOULD back legal action if Prince Harry lied on visa application – & duke should be ‘very worried’, warn insiders
DONALD Trump would back legal action if Prince Harry lied on his visa application and he should be “very worried”, insiders have warned.
The US President previously hinted he may deport Meghan Markle’s husband amid claims he lied about past drug use on visa forms.
But Mr Trump then said: “I don’t want to do that. I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”
Years of insults include the Duchess of Sussex calling Mr Trump a “misogynist” while he has labelled her “nasty”.
Now a source has told The Mail on Sunday Mr Trump remains committed to Harry facing a criminal prosecution if he is found to have lied.
They said: “President Trump has made it very clear that if Harry is found to have not told the truth on his visa application, then he could face prosecution.”
The source added: “President Trump has said he won’t deport Harry but there is no doubt he would support a prosecution.
“The word in Washington is he should be very worried indeed. There is no love lost between the Sussexes and President Trump.”
Harry’s reference to taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms in his book Spare prompted a conservative Washington DC think tank to question why he was allowed into the US in 2020.
US judge Carl Nichols ruled in September 2024 that the public did not have a strong interest in disclosure of the duke’s immigration records.
But after a fresh challenge, he agreed earlier last month to release the “maximum amount possible” about how Harry, 40, got into the US.
Lawyer John Bardo wrote in court papers: “Specifically, Defendant would propose redacting all information in these items that would reveal information that the Court has determined Defendant can withhold.”
The Heritage Foundation alleged the Duke may have lied about past drug use on his forms, that would have banned him from US visa eligibility.
But, after President Trump came into power he announced Harry would not be deported.
He made a dig towards Meghan and told The New York Post: “I’ll leave him alone.
“He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”
Meghan has not hid her aversion for Trump in the past having dubbed him “divisive” and “misogynistic”.
The president also called Harry “whipped,” and believes the Prince is “being led around by the nose”.
Yet 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 is found to have lied in his application, the president 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.”
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/royals/13804461/prince-harry-secret-visa-files-released-public/