Disclosing Harry’s US visa records could subject duke to harassment, court told

The Duke of Sussex could be subjected to harassment if his visa records were disclosed, the US government previously told a court.

A judge in Washington DC ruled last year that Harry’s US visa application should remain private despite him admitting taking drugs in his memoir Spare.

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in the US capital, claimed the duke’s reference to taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms in his book should merit the disclosure of his application to enter the country in 2020.

In documents relating to the case that were made public on Tuesday, a chief freedom of information officer within the US Department for Homeland Security (DHS) could be seen to argue that releasing the material “would potentially expose the individual to harm from members of the public”.

“To release such information would potentially expose the individual to harm from members of the public who might have a reason to manipulate or harass individuals depending on their status in the United States.”

The declaration, which contained a number of redactions, added: “To release his exact status could subject him to reasonably foreseeable harm in the form of harassment as well as unwanted contact by the media and others.”

The Heritage Foundation brought the lawsuit against the DHS after a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was rejected, with the think tank claiming it was of “immense public interest”.

In his ruling in September last year, US Judge Carl Nichols said the public’s interest in disclosure of Harry’s immigration records is “outweighed by the duke’s privacy interest”.

The documents publicly released on Tuesday did not contain any details contained within Harry’s visa application following the ruling by Judge Nichols last year, but he did order the DHS to consider what private statements and parts of a private court hearing could be released.

A transcript of the private hearing from April 30 last year was disclosed by the court, but 32 out of the 42 pages of the transcript were fully redacted.

In his controversial memoir, the duke said cocaine “didn’t do anything for me”, adding: “Marijuana is different, that actually really did help me.”