PRINCE Harry has been dealt a fresh blow after the judge in his Visa case said today that he wanted to make as many of the secret files public as he could.
Judge Carl Nichols said that he wanted to reveal the “maximum amount possible” to determine how the Duke of Sussex got into America.
Prince Harry has courted controversy over his drug admissions in a visa row[/caption]
US President Trump has warned the Duke previously about consequences if he was found to have lied on his application[/caption]
The decision means Harry could yet face embarrassing revelations over whether he lied on his US visa.
Conservative think-tank The Heritage Foundation had questioned why the duke was allowed into the US in 2020 following his reference to consumption of cocaine, marijuana, and psychedelic mushrooms in his book Spare.
Heritage sued the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last year after the agency, which oversees immigration in America, refused a Freedom of Information request for Harry’s files.
In his memoir, ‘Spare’, and his Netflix TV series Harry talked about using cannabis, cocaine and magic mushrooms.
US judge Nichols previously ruled in September last year that the public did not have strong interest in the sharing of the prince’s immigration records.
But today was the first time the case has been in US courts since President Trump returned to office last month.
Judge Nichols said that he was in favour of the “maximum disclosure” possible without making public something that has so far been private.
“In my view that has to happen”, Judge Nichols said.
Judge Nichols said he was “very likely” going to ask DHS to suggest redactions to the documents so that he could release them
John Bardo, a lawyer for DHS, warned that the files could have so many redactions they would be “meaningless” and have “disjointed words and phrases”.
But the judge said he wanted to “take this in stages” and make the material public where he could.
Speaking after the hearing, Heritage lawyer Samuel Dewey said they were “very happy” with the hearing.
He said that “I think some stuff can be disclosed” including some statements that were submitted for the case.
Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at Heritage, appealed to Donald Trump to make the files public.
He said that the President had put “border security and the application of the rule of law a top priority”, Mr Gardiner said.
Mr Gardiner also welcomed the support of Suella Braverman to make Harry’s records public.
He said that the former Home Secretary was the “first major British public official to weigh in but I expect there will be others, may well do so in the coming weeks and months”.
Harry’s representatives have declined to comment on the case.
DUKE’S DRAMA
Prince Harry has been warned previously by Trump that he could face consequences if he lied about taking drugs on his US visa application.
President 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.”
He also previously vowed, before he was elected, that “Harry is on his own” if he became president again.
The president also has the power to intervene and can ask for the documents regarding his application to be released.
In his controversial memoir, Harry said cocaine “didn’t do anything for me”, adding: “Marijuana is different, that actually really did help me.”
The Heritage Foundation had brought the lawsuit against the Department for Homeland Security (DHS) following the rejection of a Freedom of Information Act request.
Claiming it was of “immense public interest”, the think-tank argued the documents should be released and said that US law “generally renders such a person inadmissible for entry” to the country.
It also said answers on the duke’s prior drug use in his visa application should have been disclosed as they could raise questions over the US government’s integrity.
In response to the legal claim, the DHS said: “Much like health, financial, or employment information, a person’s immigration information is private personal information.”
The submissions previously made by lawyer John Bardo on behalf of DHS also said no “publicly available information, shows that Prince Harry was ever convicted for a drug-related offence”.
He added that any suggestion from the Heritage Foundation of wrongdoing on behalf of the US government was “purely speculative”.
Prince Harry revealed in his memoir Spare that he had tried a range of Class A drugs[/caption]
How the Royal drama gripped UK and beyond
JAN 8, 2020: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announce they are to “step back as senior members” of the Royal Family and divide their time between the UK and North America.
JAN 18: Buckingham Palace announces an agreement has been reached for Harry “to step back from royal duties, including official military appointments”.
JAN 20: The Palace announces Harry and Meghan will no longer use their HRH titles and will not receive public funds for royal duties. The couple say they intend to repay £2.4million of taxpayer money for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, which will remain their UK family home.
MAR 3: Harry and the Queen meet for a four-hour conversation about Megxit.
MAR 9: Meghan and Harry attend the Commonwealth Day service – alongside William and Kate –their final royal event before giving up royal duties.
MAR 27: The couple move to Los Angeles after a brief stay in Canada.
JUNE: They buy an £11million mansion in Montecito, California.
SEPT: Netflix announces a huge $100million deal with the couple.
NOV: In an article in the New York Times, Meghan reveals she suffered a miscarriage four months earlier.
MAR 7, 2021: The couple give a US TV interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which the Duchess reveals her suicidal thoughts and accuses a member of the Royal Family of racism.
MAR 8: The Palace responds, saying the race issues raised are “concerning” and “while some recollections may vary” the matters will be “taken very seriously”.
APR 17: Harry attends the funeral of his grandfather the Duke of Edinburgh.
JUNE 4: Daughter Lilibet is born in a hospital in Santa Barbara, California.
JULY 1: Harry and William unite to unveil a statue of Diana at Kensington Palace.
JUNE 2022: The brothers come together for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and again two months later for her funeral. The state occasion is Meghan’s final visit to the UK.
DEC: Netflix series Harry & Meghan airs. The Duke says in one episode it had been “terrifying” to have his brother “scream and shout” at him about their future.
JAN 8, 2023: Harry is interviewed by ITV to publicise his controversial book Spare – published two days later – claiming it was “Meghan versus Kate”.
APR: Harry has a “heart-to-heart” talk with dad Charles before agreeing to attend the King’s Coronation in London.
MAY 6: Arriving alone for the ceremony, he sits two rows behind his brother and leaves soon after the service.
JUNE: Harry becomes the first senior royal in more than 130 years to give evidence in court, when he appears at the High Court for his case against Mirror Group Newspapers.
JULY: Streaming giant Spotify announces it is parting ways with the Suss-exes’ Archewell Audio brand, above, in a “mutual decision”.
SEPT: Harry rejects an offer to spend the anniversary of the Queen’s death with his father at Balmoral.
FEB 2024: Harry flies to the UK to be with his father. They meet for half an hour before Harry flies home. He does not meet William.
MAR: Meghan launches lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard, which posts just nine times on Instagram.
APR: A judge brands Harry’s legal appeal for taxpayer-funded security following his move abroad “frankly hopeless”.
MAY: Harry pays a brief visit to London for an event held two miles from where Charles was staying. They do not meet.
JAN 1, 2025: Meghan relaunches her Instagram account with a video shot by Harry on a beach near their US home.
