Request to release Prince Harry’s visa application denied by US government

The US government has refused to release information about Prince Harry's visa. Photo / AP

The US Department of Homeland security has refused to share details of Prince Harry’s visa application, citing his “right to privacy”.

Documents have revealed the US government has turned down a second Freedom of Information Act request to reveal the royal’s visa details, reports the Daily Mail.

The request came from think-tank the Heritage Foundation, who raised questions over whether Harry lied on his application about taking drugs in the past.

Prince Harry has admitted to several instances of drug use in the past. Photo / Getty Images

In his memoir Spare and on his Netflix show Harry & Meghan, Harry has mentioned taking drugs - something that usually prevents someone from entering the US without a special dispensation.

The Department of Homeland Security rejected the first request for information, stating that despite Harry’s status as a public figure, he didn’t “forfeit all rights of privacy”. Harry declined to comment at the time.

Last month, Heritage Foundation lawyers took the request to court to try to get the government department to respond to the request.

But judge Carl Nichols would not issue an injunction, though he called on the government to answer the think-tank.

Harry references drug use in his book Spare and on his Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan. Photo / Netflix

Its lead attorney Samuel Dewey revealed a letter from senior director at the DHS Jimmy Wolfrey, in which he refused to comment on whether he had Harry’s information on file.

Now Nile Gardiner of the Heritage Foundation has slammed the decision online, writing, “This argument makes no sense ... the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to stonewall the Heritage Foundation’s Freedom of Information request are unacceptable, and we will be contesting their position.”

Writing in his memoir Spare, Harry has previously mentioned using cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms.

Since stepping down as senior royals in 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have established themselves as public figures in the US.

Admitting drug use doesn’t automatically ban you from the country, as a denial of entry can be overturned and a waiver issued after an in-person interview at a US immigration office or consulate.

Historically, authorities have not had an issue with sharing the immigration documents of public figures.

The country’s Citizenship and Immigration Services website includes an online reading room, where the files of certain celebrities are available.