Prince Harry was handed a boost this week as the Department of Homeland Security refused to release private information from his US visa application.
However, with an appeal being planned by The Heritage Foundation, it doesn’t look as though the battle will end there. Instead, it’s been tipped to escalate. This is because the think tank wants to ensure American laws are being “applied fairly” to all citizens.
Prince Harry visa latest
Earlier this week (June 13), The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rejected a Freedom of Information Act request regarding Prince Harry’s American visa.
In a letter seen by the New York Post, the DHS stated that it didn’t think it was in the “public interest” to release the information. “To the extent records exist, this office does not find a public interest in disclosure sufficient to override the subject’s privacy interests,” it read.
The Heritage Foundation previously asked for Prince Harry‘s visa application to be released after her admitted to using drugs in his memoir Spare. Under US law, foreigners who admit to taking drugs and wish to enter, or move to, the United States may face several challenges when doing so. As a result, The Heritage Foundation asked if Harry declared his previous drug use on his forms.
‘We expected to fight every step in federal court’
After the ruling was handed down, the think tank said it intends to mount an appeal. And this could see the case taken to the federal court.
The Heritage Foundation’s Nile Gardiner spoke to reporters after the decision was announced. He declared it “unacceptable”.
We will continue to press for transparency and accountability for the American people.
“The Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to stonewall the Heritage Foundation’s Freedom of Information request are unacceptable. We will be contesting their position. We expected to have to fight every step of this case in federal court.” It then added: “We will continue to press for transparency and accountability for the American people.”
Was Harry ‘properly vetted’?
Mike Howell, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, previously raised fears that Prince Harry wasn’t “properly vetted” during the visa application process.
At the time of the request, he said: “This request is in the public interest in light of the potential revocation of Prince Harry‘s visa for illicit substance use and further questions regarding the Prince’s drug use and whether he was properly vetted before entering the United States.”
He added that the thick tank wants to ensure American laws are being “applied fairly” to all citizens.
The Foundation’s lawyer Samuel Dewey also asked: “Was preferential treatment given to Prince Harry because of who he was? Was the process not followed? If it wasn’t, that’s a big deal. Individuals in the past with that history have not been let into the country.”
Royal was ‘truthful’ on visa application
However, a source close to Harry claimed that he was honest in his visa application. They told The Telegraph that Harry was “truthful” and disclosed his drug-taking.
ED! has contacted Prince Harry’s reps for comment.
Read more: ‘Humiliated’ Meghan Markle lays down the law over Prince Harry’s ‘other women’
So what do you think? Head to our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix to join the debate.