The Biden administration has stepped in to defend Prince Harry’s right to privacy in his ongoing US visa case, marking a significant development in the legal battle over his immigration documents.
The case centres on whether the Duke of Sussex disclosed his past drug use in his visa application. In his memoir Spare, Harry admitted to using substances such as cannabis, magic mushrooms, and cocaine, raising questions about potential visa implications.
In a recent court filing, the Biden administration emphasized that there was no evidence of impropriety in Harry’s immigration process and that his privacy rights outweighed public interest in accessing his visa records.
"The evidence before the Court plainly sufficed to show that speculation of impropriety was unfounded," the filing stated, as reported by GB News. It added that sufficient public information had already been disclosed, and further details were unnecessary.
The administration also criticized claims by the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank that filed the lawsuit seeking disclosure of Harry’s visa records, describing their allegations as “a ‘bare suspicion’ of government misconduct.”
In September 2024, Judge Carl J. Nichols reviewed the documents privately and ruled in favour of keeping the records confidential. The court dismissed the case, agreeing that Prince Harry’s privacy interests outweighed any public demand for access.
The Heritage Foundation had argued that the public had a right to know whether Harry disclosed his drug use on his visa application. However, the case was closed when no evidence of wrongdoing was uncovered.
The legal battle comes amid broader debates about immigration policy, with former President Donald Trump suggesting that Prince Harry could face deportation as part of a stricter approach to immigration.
For now, the Biden administration’s stance solidifies the privacy of the Duke’s records, leaving critics and supporters speculating about the case’s broader implications.
