London, Yiannis Haniotakis

A court in the United States has ruled that documents concerning Prince Harry’s visa, Duke of Sussex, must be made public by Tuesday, giving a new turn to a case that has been heavily involved in British and US media.

The case began when the conservative Think Tank Heritage Foundation filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Homeland (DHS), demanding the release of prince Harry’s visa files. The Agency argued that there were questions about whether Harry hid his history of drug use at the request of his entry into the US. The doubts were triggered by the Prince’s own revelations in his memoirs entitled Spare, as well as in his series on Netflix, where he admitted that he had used substances such as hemp and cocaine in the past. According to US law, drug use may be a reason for rejection of a visa.

The Heritage Foundation has claimed that the publication of the documents is necessary to determine if the prince has received privileged treatment from the US authorities or whether there was an inaccurate statement in his application. For its part, the ministry had initially opposed, citing privacy and national security reasons. However, the recent court ruling in Washington marks a shift, as the judge ordered the release of certain documents, although some information may remain confidential.

US President Donald Trump has commented on the issue, recently stating that he does not intend to deport Prince Harry, saying that “he already has enough problems”.