A U.S. judge is weighing an appeal from conservative group the Heritage Foundation over whether to make Prince Harry’s visa application public because of his admission of past drug use.
The Duke of Sussexx admitted to taking different illicit drugs in the past in his memoir “Spare.”
The conservative think tank argued in its original lawsuit that it wanted to see if the Department of Homeland Security gave the prince preferential treatment in vetting him when he and wife Meghan Markle, who is an American citizen, moved to the U.S. It added that the application was of “immense public interest.”
The application typically asks about substance abuse, but people can receive waivers, such as if there could be significant economic or cultural impact.
However, possession of illegal drugs has been used as a pretext to deport tens of thousands of people in the last two decades.
Customs and Border Protection previously rejected the group’s attempt to have the application released, saying it needed Harry’s consent.
In the memoir, Prince Harry, 38, admitted to using cocaine and marijuana when he was younger and about taking psychedelic mushrooms at “Friends” star Courtney Cox’s home while in California in 2016.
It’s unclear when the judge will make a ruling on the appeal, which has been described as “a Hail Mary” that would set a shocking precedent and is unlikely to succeed.
The case is unrelated to Prince Harry’s phone-hacking trial in the U.K.
