Prince Harry faces ‘deportation’ from the United States in shock drug use threat

Prince Harry is at risk of being kicked out of the United States under a legal challenge that could strip the Duke of Sussex of his immigration status.

FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019 file photo, Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive at the annual Endeavour Fund Awards in London. The child of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will be seventh in the line of succession to the British throne, and also could be an American. The baby expected to arrive in the next few weeks would be the first citizen of Britains former colonies born into the upper echelons of the royal family. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

Prince Harry is facing questions over whether he lied to enter the United States after admitting to drug use in his memoir Spare; with a government oversight group launching a new legal challenge over his visa application.

While it is currently unknown which immigration visa Prince Harry used to enter the US, his revelations of cocaine, magic mushroom and marijuana use could put his legal status in the country at risk if they were not declared to the Department of Homeland Security.

The new challenge to Prince Harry’s immigration status comes as he considers attending the King’s coronation in the United Kingdom, placing his visa under additional scrutiny on a subsequent re-entry to the US.

Prince Harry has admitted to using magic mushrooms at celebrity parties in California. Picture: Supplied

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative American think tank, confirmed to News Corp Australia that it had launched a legal dispute over the State Department’s refusal to release details of Prince Harry’s visa application.

Mike Howell, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, said Prince Harry either lied on his application, which can be rejected over drug use, or that he received special treatment as a royal and celebrity, which would be illegal.

A State Department spokesman said visa records are confidential under Section 222(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

“Therefore, we cannot discuss the details of individual visa cases,” the spokesman said in an emailed statement.

Eyebrows were raised over Prince Harry’s legal status in the US after the release of Spare in January, and the subsequent media blitz that mined the depths of his trauma and drug use.

He admitted to using cocaine from the age of 17, pointing to a shooting weekend and “a few more lines” on other occasions. He admitted to taking magic mushrooms at a celebrity party in California and smoking marijuana after his first date with Meghan Markle in 2016.

“Marijuana is different [to cocaine]. It did really help me,” he said during the online therapy session with Dr Gabor Maté.

Hallucinogens like ayahuasca, meanwhile, helped him remove “life’s filters”. “It removed it all for me and brought me a sense of relaxation, relief, comfort, a lightness that I managed to hold back for a period of time,” he said.

“I started doing it recreationally and then started to realise how good it was for me. I would say it is one of the fundamental parts of my life that changed me and helped me deal with the traumas and the pains of the past. They’re unlocking so much of what we’ve suppressed.”

Prince Harry in therapy, where he praised the use of drugs to combat trauma. Picture: Supplied

Prince Harry’s memoir and his public comments have been compiled by The Heritage Foundation into a dossier sent to The Department of Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Protection, and the US Citizenship Immigration Services as part of his legal bid to release his visa application under freedom of information laws.

Prince Harry was filmed undergoing a form of therapy known as EMDR, which is designed to blunt the trauma of painful memories, as part of The Me You Can’t See docuseries.

The foundation is also demanding the release of private emails, text messages, and WhatsApp correspondence as part of its request, which was first reported by The Daily Mail.

“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,” Mr Howell told the outlet.

“It is unclear at this juncture whether DHS complied with the law if, in admitting Prince Harry, did so without a waiver or any interview with CBP to assess whether, given his history, he was admissible to the United States.”

There are several visas that Prince Harry could have entered the US on when he moved to California in 2020, including being sponsored by his wife, Ms Markle, or an O-1 visa granted to those with “extraordinary ability”.

News Corp Australia has reached out to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment.

Prince Harry has been a long-time smoker of marijuana, seen here in a 2002 cartoon being told off by Prince Charles. Picture: Supplied

Originally published as Prince Harry faces ‘deportation’ from the United States in shock drug use threat