Donald Trump issued a major warning to Prince Harry, telling a British news channel that if the royal “lied” about his drug use on his U.S. visa application then authorities would have to take “appropriate action.”
Trump also told U.K. politician and broadcaster Nigel Farage, in an interview for GB News that aired on Tuesday, that Harry and Meghan Markle “broke” the late Queen Elizabeth II’s “heart” with their “horrible” comments about the royal family in her final years.
Farage asked Trump about the ongoing legal dispute over the prince’s visa in the U.S., which has seen Conservative think-tank The Heritage Foundation sue the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after it denied a freedom of information request to view the royal’s documentation.
The foundation expressed a wish to see whether Harry disclosed on his entry documents his past use of illegal drugs. The prince referenced past use of cocaine, magic mushrooms, marijuana and psychedelics in his 2023 memoir, Spare.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images/Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Applicants for certain U.S. visas are required to make such disclosures, with admissions potentially barring them from entry or disqualifying them from eligibility. The Heritage Foundation has expressed concern that Harry either failed to make the legally required admission, or that he did so and was given preferential treatment disregarding it.
In court, the DHS has fought to keep Harry’s immigration paperwork private, arguing that it would result in the publication of personal information that should be exempt from disclosure.
On March 7, a D.C. judge ordered that the government body was to supply him with a declaration of the documents it is holding, so that he can decide whether or not to make them public.
In his interview with GB News, Trump was asked by Farage that if Harry “lied on his visa form, doesn’t the truth need to come out? Should he get special privileges that nobody else does?”
“No,” Trump responded. “And we’ll have to see. If they know something about the drugs and if he lied they’ll have to take appropriate action.”
Asked if “appropriate action” potentially means “Harry not staying in America,” the former president responded: “Oh I don’t know, you’ll have to tell me.”
Newsweek approached representatives of Donald Trump and Prince Harry via email for comment.
This is not the first time Trump has spoken out about Harry and his visa dispute.
In February, he accused the Biden administration of “protecting” the prince.
“I wouldn’t protect him,” he told the Daily Express. “He would be on his own if it was down to me.”
The comments indicate Trump could prove to be a powerful adversary to Harry, should he be re-elected president in 2024.
The prince has made the U.S. his home since 2020, when he purchased a California mansion with wife, Meghan, after their split from the monarchy, from where they are raising their two children, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two.
Harry has spoken of his love for life in the U.S., away from the British tabloid media.
In February, during a visit to Canada to mark the one-year waypoint to the 2025 Invictus Games, the prince revealed that he is considering becoming a U.S. citizen.
“I have considered it, yeah,” he told Good Morning America. “American citizenship is a thought that has crossed my mind, but isn’t something that’s a high priority for me right now.”
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.