What Donald Trump’s presidency means for Prince Harry’s visa

Previous comments from Donald Trump about Prince Harry‘s US visa has particular resonance now that he has been elected president, as a conservative think tank continues to push for the publication of his immigration records.

Trump has been asked in the past whether he would intervene in the immigration dispute regarding Harry’s past drug use, as detailed in his memoir: Save.

The Heritage Foundation has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration seeking publication of Harry’s immigration records. It is argued that there was a public interest in knowing whether he lied about or disclosed his past drug use and received favorable treatment. But a federal judge in Washington DC ruled against the think tank.

The Heritage Foundation is looking for disputes the ruling and place the immigration papers of Melania TrumpBiden’s mother, Amalija Knavs, came forward and said the Biden administration had been willing to release her data.

The case hinges on the outside chance that Harry’s visa could be revoked, although experts have previously said Newsweek this would be unlikely under normal use Department of Homeland Security (DHS) matters.

In March, Trump was asked on GB News whether Harry should receive special treatment and said: “No. We’ll have to see if they know anything about the drugs, and if he was lying, they’ll have to take appropriate action.”

Asked if that meant “not staying in America,” Trump said, “Oh, I don’t know. You’ll have to tell me. You should just tell me. You would have thought they knew this a long time ago. past.”

The comments were interpreted as a veiled hint that Trump could intervene and revoke Harry’s visa once he returns to the White House, but recent comments from his son Erik were milder.

“I don’t care if he does drugs. It doesn’t mean anything,” Eric told the newspaper Daily mail. “I can tell you that our father and our entire family have enormous respect for the monarchy.”

He added: “Frankly, I don’t care about Prince Harry, and I don’t think this country does either.”

Harry and Meghan first drew scorn for Trump in 2020 after their comments urging Americans to vote seemed to indicate they wanted him to lose the White House. Joe Biden.

Meghan said on one Michelle Obama voter drive, she was motivated by a desire to “see the change we all need and deserve.”

This year, however, they did not comment on the election, which may increase the chance that any feelings of resentment on Trump’s part will take a back seat to other, more pressing matters.

There is also the possibility that Trump will intervene to ensure Harry’s immigration papers are released, despite previous protests from DHS that doing so would violate his privacy.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols’ full order in the civil lawsuit remains secret, but a redacted memorandum released and seen by Newsweek read: “The government maintains that the Duke has a privacy interest that outweighs any public interest in those documents and has therefore withheld them (and, in respect of one category, has refused to confirm whether they exist at all).”

The judge continued: “After a closed-door review of certain documents and associated statements, the Court agrees that the Duke’s privacy interests outweigh any public interest and therefore grant the defendant’s motion for summary judgment to.”

Jack Royston does Newsweek‘s chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find it at X (formerly Tweet) bee @jack_royston and continue reading his stories Newsweek‘S The Royals Facebook page.

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