- Title: US releases redacted documents in Prince Harry immigration case
- Date: 18th March 2025
- Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (MARCH 18, 2025) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF HEAVILY REDACTED COURT DOCUMENTS FROM EFFORT TO UNSEAL PRINCE HARRY'S VISA APPLICATION, WITH PASSAGE FROM JARROD PANTER, ACTING ASSOCIATE CENTER DIRECTOR AND CHIEF FOIA OFFICER IN THE FOIA UNIT OF USCIS, READING (English): "Plaintiffs allege that the records should be disclosed as public confidence in
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: Heritage Foundation Prince Harry drug use visa
- Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- Country: US
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions,North America
- Reuters ID: LVA001987918032025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The U.S. government released documents related to a court battle over Prince Harry's 2020 visa application on Tuesday (March 18) but redacted large portions, saying it had a duty to protect his privacy and there was no evidence he received special treatment.
A conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation, had filed a Freedom of Information Act request and argued that the public had a right to know if Harry disclosed the prior drug use that he detailed in his book, "Spare," on his application.
More than 80 pages of court filings and transcripts were released on Tuesday with large sections covered in black.
Immigration officials said the Heritage Foundation had not established that the public interest outweighed the right to privacy for Harry, the Duke of Sussex.
"Plaintiffs allege that the records should be disclosed as public confidence in the government would suffer or to establish whether the Duke was granted preferential treatment. This speculation by Plaintiffs does not point to any evidence of government misconduct," wrote Jarrod Panter, an official in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the Department of Homeland Security.
In his 2023 memoir "Spare," Harry said he had used cocaine and marijuana.
Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan dropped their royal duties in Britain and moved to the United States in 2020.
Representatives for Harry and the Heritage Foundation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
(Production: Justin Nathanson, Roselle Chen) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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