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Prince Harry faces a fresh wave of tension as Judge Carl Nichols orders the release of his visa application records months after admissions in his bombshell book raised immigration questions. In his 2023 memoir, Spare, which explored his life as a second-born British prince, Harry admitted to drug use, making references to his use of cocaine, marijuana, and psychedelic mushrooms during a troubled phase of his life. However, while his vulnerability made him more relatable, the admission has plunged the prince neck-deep in a legal squabble centered around his immigration application.
The conservative think-tank Heritage Foundation filed a legal application demanding the public release of Prince Harry’s visa application request and other immigration files in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. This conservative group questioned how the England native managed to score a US visa despite his past drug use, which should have disqualified him from obtaining one. The group believes the Prince either lied about his drug history in the visa application or received special treatment from the Biden administration, invariably bringing the integrity of the US immigration system into question.
Judge Orders Prince Harry’s Visa Files Release After Bombshell Book
The right-wing group proceeded to sue the US Department of Homeland Security last year, following its refusal to release the Prince’s immigration. Amid prevailing request for the immigration records to be made public, US District Judge Carl Nichols has consented, ordering the release of a redacted version of Prince Harry’s visa files, per DailyMail. In the court filings dated March 15, the Washington judge ordered the US Department of Homeland Security to release the files no later than Tuesday, March 18, after approving the department’s suggested redactions, deeming it “appropriate.”
This new court order comes barely six months after the same judge dismissed the visa files release request, claiming the public had no strong interest in Prince Harry’s immigration records. This complete 180 has left many questioning the underlying politics involved in the Duke of Sussex’s immigration scandal.
Theories Run Wild as Harry’s Immigration Records Stir Tension
Debates surrounding this ongoing legal squabble have ensued on Reddit, with royal fans dishing various conspiracy theories suggesting there was more at play. A Reddit user shared,
“Drug use doesn’t get anyone excited, but what was it that might ‘humiliate’ Harry then? That’s what I want to know.”
Some Reddit users opined that Prince Harry’s actions regarding his US visa application files release after publicly admitting to drug use in his bombshell memoir suggested he deemed himself “above human laws.” Others suggested the Duke most likely had someone else fill his application form, and never even granted the mandatory interview since it all happened during the coronavirus pandemic. Netizens also expressed concerns that the DHS would have redacted all the important and incriminating points from the files before releasing them, which ultimately defeats the FOI request. One user pointed,
“[Harry] quite obviously doesn’t want anyone to know what he said. Otherwise, he could have saved all this bother, and US taxpayers’ money, by just being honest about what was in the documents. He doesn’t have to, but it would have cleared the whole thing up right at the start. So simple, so easy, just a few words, yet he refuses.”
Another jabbed,
“Could be why he was looking for a house in UK and Portugal. He must have gotten the heads up and that’s probably another reason Beggin’ Barfle [Markle] was looking into a divorce book.”
A third added,
“No wonder a few days ago he was calling the US a safe place. 😭😭Damage control happening already.”
A Genuine Court Order or Trump’s Payback?
Theories about possible political motivation have also prevailed across media platforms. A Reddit user implied that Judge Carl Nichols’ decision to reverse his earlier decision and demand Prince Harry’s visa files’ release after drug use admission had a malicious connection to King Charles’ recent affiliations with Canada amid Donald Trump’s fallout with the Prime Minister. The netizen wrote,
“The prime minister of Canada had a meeting with King Charles recently regarding Trump wanting to annex Canada. And King Charles is defending Canada, which Trump isn’t too happy about, hence Harry’s royal privilege is canceled to send a message to King Charles… The timing is too much of a coincidence”
Another chipped in,
“Charles inviting Zelensky to Sandringham immediately following that kerfuffle at the White House seemed like an intentional dig. I am no fan of Trump but I respect the election process and I understand the reason why he got elected. Good luck to Charles wanting any favors for his darling boy.”
Meanwhile, some Reddit users tried to debunk this politically charged theory, suggesting the order to release the visa records could not possibly be Trump’s way of getting back at King Charles. According to them, neither Trump nor the British monarch cared about the estranged prince, making it less likely they’d instigate an inter-nation squabble on his account.
Just last month, the President of the United States addressed the ongoing immigration dispute. Speaking to a news outlet, the politician, who has repeatedly threatened to deport Harry revealed that he had no intention of deporting him from the US because he[Harry] had enough problems with his “terrible” wife already. That same month, the POTUS received a special invite from King Charles to honor a historic royal visit to his preferred location in Scotland. Trump graciously accepted the invitation, describing the UK as a fantastic country. Establishing their affiliation via the unprecedented royal invitation only proves no bad blood existed between the two influential leaders.
