US government accused of 'silencing' court attempt to reveal details of Prince Harry's visa application

The royal couple moved to the US in 2020. Credit: ANDREW KELLEY/Reuters

Joe Biden's administration is being accused of «hushing up» a legal attempt to reveal details of Prince Harry's US visa application under freedom of information laws.

A request for an expedited review of the application on grounds of exceptional public interest was denied in what was described as an «outrageous» decision by the Washington think tank that investigated the case. security and his two agencies, a hearing expected next month.

The Heritage Foundation demanded the immediate release of the Duke of Sussex's visa records in March after he admitted to drug use in his memoir Spare.

Prince Harry admitted to taking drugs, including cocaine, cannabis and magic mushrooms.

Prince Harry admitted to taking drugs, including cocaine, cannabis and hallucinogenic mushrooms. Photo: Michael Son/AP

Sources close to the Duke have insisted that he was truthful about his drug use when applying for the visa, raising questions about whether the Duke received special treatment, the Foundation claims. He asked if the border guards had given him permission.

Under U.S. freedom of information laws, applications may be expedited if there is «widespread and exclusive media interest in which there are potential questions about government integrity that affect public confidence.» The Heritage Foundation argued that the Prince Harry case had cleared that bar, but the expedited review application was rejected on the grounds that British publishers, including The Telegraph, who demanded responses to the visa application, were not popular enough in the US to consider.

Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Freedom Center at the Heritage Foundation, said: «The Biden administration is clearly refraining from releasing any documents.»

«They are trying to do it. undermining the credibility of the British press, which is outrageous, and focusing their fire on the British press, despite the fact that we presented articles in the US press on the same topic.

The Heritage Foundation has filed requests for the Duke's visa with the Department of Homeland Security, USCIS and US Customs and Border Protection.

In its written objection to the post-track request, the Department of Homeland Security characterized The Telegraph and other UK outlets as «niche» and stated that it is not convinced that there are exceptional circumstances that warrant an urgent response.

Harry and Meghan

The think tank will now file for a hearing before a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia where it will ask the judge to reverse the three agencies' decision.

If that fails, it could take them months or more to decide on publication of the Duke's visa documents.

Samuel Dewey, an attorney representing the Foundation, said they are asking for something potentially important, and you won't get it unless you sue them.

«You can get a request that sits there for a year and basically nothing happens.

«This is an example of an unprecedented lack of transparency on the part of this administration.»

Prince Harry has moved to California in 2020 with his wife Meghan Markle. People who emigrate to the US are usually issued a three-year visa, meaning they will need to renew their visa this year or apply for a green card or citizenship.

Filing a new application is likely to result in to further check the status of Prince Harry's visa.