Is Prince Harry's CA Residency In Jeopardy?

CALIFORNIA — A U.S. federal judge mandated the release of Prince Harry's immigration records by the end of Tuesday — a move that could theoretically call the prince's U.S. residency into question.

The decision follows a legal challenge by the conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation, which sought to determine whether the Duke of Sussex disclosed his past drug use when applying for U.S. residency.

It is unclear exactly what the documents will reveal and whether they will have any impact on his U.S. visa.

In his 2023 memoir, "Spare," Prince Harry admitted to experimenting with substances like cocaine, marijuana, and psychedelic mushrooms from the age of 17. These admissions prompted the Heritage Foundation to question the legitimacy of his visa approval, arguing that such admissions could render an applicant ineligible for U.S. residency.

Drug use typically doesn't disqualify a person from obtaining citizenship, but lying about it could pose challenges, NBC4 reported. The action, the station reported, could technically result in Harry being ousted from the U.S.

"Of course, I had been taking cocaine at that time," Harry wrote in "Spare."

The Heritage Foundation filed a FOIA (Freedom of Information Request) in 2023, just after "Spare" was published, seeking Harry's immigration papers.

"Harry has publicly admitted to extensive illegal drug use. What do we submit this means? That Harry seems to have received special treatment: the DHS looked the other way if the Prince answered truthfully, or it looked the other way if the Prince lied on his visa application. Either action would be wrong," Nile Gardiner from the Heritage Foundation said in an online post in 2024, CBS News reported.

Initially, in September 2024, Judge Carl Nichols ruled against the disclosure of Prince Harry's immigration records, citing insufficient public interest to outweigh privacy concerns. However, upon appeal, the judge reversed his decision, ordering the Department of Homeland Security to release redacted versions of the documents.

The federal government has attempted to stave off efforts to make the Duke of Sussex's paperwork public.

What's more, President Donald Trump recently told the New York Post that he didn't want to see the prince ousted from the U.S.

"I don’t want to do that. I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible," Trump said of Megan Markle, who has been critical of the president.

This is a developing news story. Check back for updates.