Judge Issues Mysterious Sealed Ruling in Prince Harry Visa Drugs Case

‘It appears the judge has ruled, and that ruling is under seal. We know nothing about how the Judge ruled,’ the Heritage Foundation tells the Sun.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus Games Foundation
Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex meets members of the public as he departs The Invictus Games Foundation 10th Anniversary Service at St Paul's Cathedral on May 08, 2024 at London, England. Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus Games Foundation

A judge has ruled in a case involving Prince Harry’s visa to America — and whether he received special treatment from American immigration authorities after publicly admitting illegal drug use. 

But the outcome of the ruling is unknown, because several orders filed on Monday are sealed, blocking the public from accessing them, as Newsweek first reported and the Sun confirmed. 

Harry’s book, “Spare,” contains detailed descriptions of illegal drug use, including using psychedelic mushrooms, which he called a “fundamental” part of his life, and cocaine, as the Sun has reported, and for the past three years he has been living in a mansion with his wife, Meghan Markle, in Montecito, California. 

Because visa applicants have to answer whether they’ve “violated, or engaged in a conspiracy to violate, any law relating to controlled substances,” the Heritage Foundation sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year, contending that the prince must have either lied on his application or told the truth while the federal government turned a blind eye.

The conservative think tank has been seeking to make Harry’s immigration records public to see whether or not the Department of Homeland Security is enforcing immigration law equally. 

“Prince Harry repeatedly admitted to using illegal drugs in his memoir. This fact alone makes him inadmissible into the United States,” the chief counsel for the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, Kyle Brosnan, tells the Sun. “We sued to get answers to the simple question of whether the government gave Prince Harry preferential treatment when he entered the country.”

The sealed ruling from Judge Carl Nichols of the District Court for the District of Columbia means that the verdict is unknown, he adds.

“It appears the judge has ruled, and that ruling is under seal. We know nothing about how the Judge ruled,” Mr. Brosnan says, adding that no one should read anything “into the order or the fact that it is under seal. We have always said this case is unique, and opinions can be initially sealed in such cases. We will continue to monitor the situation.”

As speculation swirls surrounding Harry’s immigration status, the DailyMail reported over the weekend that he could be in America on an “extremely rare A-1 Head of State visa.”

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Sun.


The New York Sun

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