Prince Harry has broken cover and been spotted just hours after documents relating to his US visa were unsealed. Despite documents being released, pages and pages of them had blocked out information, and the prince’s immigration status was not revealed – offering little new detail.
Just after the release of the documents, a beaming Harry was seen in pictures obtained by MailOnline running errands in Santa Barbara, near his home in Montecito. He opted for a casual look, including a baseball cap and shorts, as he was seen getting out of his car. The long-running row over Harry’s immigration status in the US was sparked when The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, claimed the duke’s references to taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms in his memoir, Spare, should merit the disclosure of his application to enter the country in 2020.
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After a ruling last week, documents relating to the case were made public yesterday – but much of them were heavily redacted, meaning the question regarding whether Harry checked the “no” box on the visa form concerning drug use remains unanswered.
The reason for the heavy redactions, as well as the fact that no details have been revealed about what is contained within Harry’s visa application, has been explained. A chief freedom of information officer within the US Department for Homeland Security (DHS) argued 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 and revealed yesterday, 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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The declaration, which contained a number of redactions, added: “To release his exact status could subject him to reasonably foreseeable harm in the form of harassment as well as unwanted contact by the media and others.”
US visa applications specifically ask the individual about current and past drug use, which can have a detrimental impact on the progress of the application. Prolific drug use can lead to applications being rejected, however, immigration officers use their discretion against a range of factors.
In February, President Donald Trump ruled out deporting Harry from the US, telling The New York Post: “I’ll leave him alone.” He added: “He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.” The Duchess of Sussex has previously been a vocal critic of former reality star Mr Trump and has called him “divisive” and a “misogynist”.
Mr 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 was found to have lied on his application, Mr Trump had 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.”
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