Prince Harry’s acknowledgment that he has considered U.S. citizenship has been brought up in a lawsuit over his use of drugs ahead of a court showdown.
The Duke of Sussex told Good Morning America last Friday he has thought about the move, which could be controversial because the conventional process would involve ditching his titles and renouncing his allegiance to any “foreign prince.”
However, one unexpected consequence has been that the Heritage Foundation has introduced his remarks into a lawsuit it filed against the Biden administration.
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The conservative think tank filed the Freedom of Information Act case against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in an effort to force them to release Harry’s visa records. Heritage argues that Harry’s past use of drugs should have disqualified him from entry into America and that therefore he was not candid or was given favorable treatment.
The DHS counters that revealing any individual’s immigration information is a breach of privacy and has asked for the case to be thrown out. The two sides will fight it out on Friday in a federal court in Washington, D.C., while the star of the show will likely be 2,700 miles away in Montecito, California.
Heritage’s legal team has indicated through a declaration to the court that it will make use of “a transcript of a February 16, 2024 interview of the Duke of Sussex on ABC’s Good Morning America in which the Duke of Sussex discusses potentially seeking United States citizenship,” according to a court filing seen by Newsweek.
Harry said on the show: “American citizenship is a thought that has crossed my mind but isn’t something that’s a high priority for me right now.”
A past DHS court filing, seen by Newsweek, reads: “The records are particularly sensitive because releasing them, even in part, would reveal Prince Harry’s status in the United States, which Prince Harry has not disclosed.
“Specifically, the records would reveal the types of documents that Prince Harry used to travel to the United States, his admission status, and any immigration, or non-immigration, benefits that he may have sought,” the filing said. “Courts consistently hold that a person’s visa or immigration status is private, personal information exempt from disclosure.”
However, Heritage has argued that Harry gave up his right to privacy when he publicized his drug taking and released, on his Netflix show, footage of him making the plane journey to America.
A past court filing seen by Newsweek read: “[The case] comes about in the main because HRH [His Royal Highness] voluntarily—and for immense profit—admitted in writing to the elements of any number of controlled substance violations. (Indeed, some say HRH has approached the point of bragging and encouraging illegal drug use.)”
The filing continues: “The Duke of Sussex did so despite the fact that it is widely known that such admissions can have adverse immigration consequences for non-citizens and despite employing preeminent legal advisors on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Jack Royston is Newsweek‘s chief royal correspondent, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.