Prince Harry’s revelations in court have “ramifications” for his residency in the US, according to a top royal commentator.
Harry, 38, is suing Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for damages, claiming journalists at its publications which include the Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, for gathering information through unlawful means such as phone hacking.
The Duke of Sussex is under fire in court over a number of issues such as the extent of his drug use, something he has detailed in his memoir Spare.
Speaking on GB News, royal expert Michael Cole said this could have “ramifications” for his US residency in Montecito, California, due to how visa applicants for the country often have to disclose details on their past drug use.
Cole says Harry has been “cross-examined” by MGN lawyers on areas he did not want brought up in court, such as his past drug use.
The Duke of Sussex claimed stories regarding his drug use were based on information that had been obtained illegally, such as two stories in 2002 which concerned allegations that he had smoked cannabis.
Cole suggested this point will be disputed by MGN given Harry’s revelations earlier in the year regarding his past drug use.
The Duke spoke about his extensive drug use in his memoir Spare and used a TV interview with Dr Gabor Mate to detail how marijuana “really helped him” mentally.
Harry has spoken about taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms in Spare.
Speaking to GB News’ Mark Longhurst, Cole said: “We’ve gone into a lot of things about his young life, such as taking drugs which must have been extremely uncomfortable for him.
“It also of course has ramifications for his residency in America where they don’t like people coming in with previous drug use.
“Prince Harry is furious, he’s incandescent, he believes his life has been ruined by the press.
“But he’s accused these people of being criminals. If you’re going to do that, you better come with the evidence.”
It comes as Harry’s US residency was thrown into question in a separate court case after a federal judge was told that details on the Duke of Sussex’s visa application should be disclosed.
The Heritage Foundation brought the lawsuit against the Department for Homeland Security (DHS) after a Freedom of Information Act request was rejected, saying it was of “immense public interest”.
Speaking after the first Federal court hearing in the case, Dr Nile Gardiner, from the think tank, told reporters the lawsuit was about holding a high-profile figure and the US Government to account.
“At the end of the day, this is about accountability, transparency and openness on behalf of the US administration with regard to an immigration application by a high-profile individual,” Gardiner said.
During the hearing at the federal court in Washington on Tuesday, the lawyer for the think tank, Samuel Dewey, told a judge their case was about the Duke of Sussex, but also about the DHS’s “compliance with the law”.
After the hearing, Gardiner added that the Duke had become a “household name” in the US, saying he is “actively engaged on a number of causes, has done multiple high-profile interviews, has taken part in a Netflix documentary that’s been watched by tens of millions of Americans – so he’s a big figure”.
Addressing why the think tank had brought the case, he told reporters: “This is really ultimately about US immigration law, ensuring that it is applied fairly and equally to everybody.
“No one should be above the law and no one should receive preferential treatment.
“In light of Prince Harry’s extensive illegal drug use, we believe he should be held to account with regard to his application.
“He’s put it all out there, let’s see whether that exactly matches what he put on his immigration application.
“Because if it doesn’t, that’s perjury and that’s a criminal offence, and everyone should be held to account before the law – no one should be treated any differently.”