Prince Harry ‘may have to update US officials on his drug use’ when he reapplies for visa this year

Prince Harry must renew his US visa this year, it has emerged, as pressure mounts for his original application to be published following his admissions of drug use.

The Duke of Sussex moved to California with his wife Meghan Markle in March 2020, meaning the typical three-year visa given to those who emigrate to the States should be coming to an end. 

The 38-year-old, who admitted past use of cannabis, magic mushrooms and cocaine in his bombshell memoir Spare, will therefore have to apply for a new visa, Green Card or full-blown citizenship if he wants to remain in the country. 

But according to US immigration laws, foreigners who are ‘determined to be a drug user’ are classed as ‘inadmissible’. 

While officials can use their discretion to waive the rule, some American conservative voices fear Harry – who admitted in his memoir to ‘rolling a joint’ as recently as 2020 – may have enjoyed special treatment. 

Sources close to the Duke insisted last night that he was ‘truthful’ when he applied for residency in California, suggesting he informed immigration officials of his past drug use. 

The Duke of Sussex moved to California with his wife Meghan Markle in March 2020, meaning the typical three-year visa given to those who emigrate to the States should soon be ending

Prince Harry did tell US authorities about his drug history when he applied for his visa, it was reported last night 

But conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation has filed a freedom of information (FoI) request, demanding the application be published to ascertain exactly what the royal divulged – alongside details of any waiver he was granted. 

US immigration law has harsh penalties for lying to immigration officials, including deportation and being barred from applying for citizenship. 

In his memoir and in a ‘therapy session’ with toxic trauma expert Dr Gabor Mate to promote his book last month, Harry admitted using psychedelic drugs.

They included the hallucinogenic Amazonian plant ayahuasca, the effects of which he described as ‘the cleaning of the windshield, the removal of life’s filters’.

But under US law, an admission of drug use usually results in a person being denied entry to the States.

The issue of immigration is expected to become one of the main focuses of the 2024 presidential election, with Republicans attacking President Joe Biden for his lax border controls.

And there are fears that Harry’s friendships with prominent Democratic Party figures such as former president Barack Obama and major Democratic donors including Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry could see him become an ‘unwitting pawn in a highly political game’.

The Heritage Foundation says his visa application must now be released so the American taxpayer can understand whether Harry declared his drug use. 

Mike Howell, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, said: ‘This request is in the public interest in light of the potential revocation of Prince Harry’s visa for illicit substance use and further questions regarding the Prince’s drug use and whether he was properly vetted before entering the United States’.

US immigration authorities have until April 12 to respond to the Freedom of Information (FoI) request.

Under US law, anyone applying for a visa to live and work in America has to tick a box to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the question: ‘Are you or have you ever been a drug abuser or addict?’

Sources close to the Duke of Sussex insisted that the royal told officials the truth about his past use of cannabis, cocaine and magic mushrooms when he applied for residency in California 

Prince Harry is pictured outside The Cuckoo Club in August 2006

There is a history of authorities releasing immigration documents about public figures.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services website has an electronic reading room which contains the immigration files of people such as Shyamala Gopalan Harris, mother of US Vice-President Kamala Harris, and George Michael and John Lennon.

Other celebrities whose files are open to the public include Canadian-born Superman actress Margot Kidder and British actress Lynn Redgrave.

Mr Dewey added: ‘An admission of drug use doesn’t automatically ban you for ever.

‘There is a waiver process and a lot of people get a waiver on a case-by-case basis. If Prince Harry was given a waiver, who authorised it? Was the correct protocol followed? It’s something the American people deserve to know.’

Often a ban is overturned after an in-person interview at a US consulate or official immigration office, where a waiver can be issued.

In 2014, Ms Lawson was prevented from entering the US after admitting during a court case to taking cocaine, even though she told a judge: ‘I have never been a drug addict. I’ve never been a habitual user.’ She was later granted a visa after being interviewed at the US Embassy in London, while Ms Winehouse was twice refused entry because of her drug use.

Mr Dewey said: ‘There is no suggestion Prince Harry did anything wrong and, if he was granted a waiver, he may not be aware of any political strings that may have been pulled, if indeed they were. But there is a danger he could become an unwitting pawn in an issue which has become a political hot potato.’

A source told The Telegraph that he was ‘truthful’ on his application

Harry revealed in his bombshell memoir Spare that he had used recreational drugs, raising questions over how the royal could have been allowed to enter the States in the first place 

Reports in the US have suggested Harry was admitted on an ‘O’ visa – given to people of extraordinary ability.

Nile Gardiner, a director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation, said: ‘This is a much bigger issue than Prince Harry. It is about enforcing immigration law and ensuring that no one is above the law. Prince Harry is simply the tip of the iceberg.

‘There are many who believe that under President Biden immigration laws have become lax and are not being properly implemented. 

‘Prince Harry openly talked about his drug use and he has done so for commercial and financial gain, to sell books. In our opinion, there is no case for privacy here.’

The Mail on Sunday previously sought comment on Prince Harry’s immigration status from the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, US Customs and Border Protection, California Border Patrol and the Sussexes’ Archewell organisation. None responded.

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