Prince Harry’s visa documents unsealed in US court

The Duke of Sussex’s US visa documents have been unsealed in court.

The heavily redacted files were released on Tuesday after Judge Carl Nichols ruled in favour of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative US think tank, as part of an ongoing Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

It claimed the Duke’s reference to taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms in his memoir, Spare, released in 2023, should merit the disclosure of his application to enter the country in 2020.

But the US government told the court that disclosing Harry’s visa records could subject him to harassment.

In the documents that were made public on Tuesday, a chief freedom of information officer within the US Department for Homeland Security (DHS) could be seen to argue that releasing the material “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, read: “The USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) routinely protects from disclosure the non-immigrant/immigrant status sought by third parties who do not have permission from the beneficiary to receive this information.

“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.”

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In his ruling in September last year, US Judge Nichols said the public’s interest in disclosure of Harry’s immigration records is “outweighed by the Duke’s privacy interest”.

But in a reversal, the same judge ordered the US Department of Homeland Security to release the redacted versions of the documents no later than Tuesday 18 March, according to court filings dated 15 March.

In February, President Donald Trump ruled out deporting Harry from the US. In an interview with the New York Post, he said: “I’ll leave him alone.”

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This comes after the President previously ruled out “protecting” Harry, explaining to the Daily Express US: “I wouldn’t protect him. He betrayed the Queen. That’s unforgivable. He would be on his own if it was down to me.”

Harry moved to California with his wife, Meghan, in 2020, following their decision to step back as senior royals. While the Duchess is a US citizen, the Duke’s immigration status remains unknown.

Just hours before Harry’s visa documents were unsealed in court, Meghan shared an at-home video of the family making green St Patrick’s Day waffles at their Montecito home on Monday. 

In a series of Instagram Stories, Meghan shared: “We love a theme,” as she used what is believed to be the waffle maker gifted to Prince Archie from the late Queen Elizabeth II.