Royal Family bracing for major fallout amid 'irritant' Prince Harry crunch talks

The potentially explosive papers come after the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, sued the Department of Homeland Security.

The foundation launched a bid under the Freedom of Information Act following Harry's candid revelations about past drug use in his memoir. Three redacted documents will be made public while a fourth will remain private.

Judge Carl Nichols ruled in September 2024 that there was no public interest in releasing documents provided by the DHS. However, last month he U-turned following appeals.

The DHS had previously argued against full disclosure, stating it would infringe on Harry's right to privacy.

The department acknowledged that while public figures have a "diminished expectation of privacy", they "do not surrender their privacy interests entirely."

The documents being released today could reveal how Harry addressed his drug history when entering the US.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams claimed that any legal issues arising from the documents would create difficulties on both sides of the Atlantic.

"If there were legal issues affecting a member of the British Royal Family it would be a cause célèbre," he told the Express. "This would be an irritant both for the Trump administration and for the Royal Family."

Despite these concerns, Fitzwilliams added: "I don't therefore expect anything will actually happen, whatever is revealed."

Prince Harry relocated to the US in 2020 and later made headlines with revelations in his memoir "Spare". He openly admitted to taking cocaine, marijuana and magic mushrooms.

These admissions prompted questions about what he disclosed on his immigration application when entering the US. Foreign nationals applying for US visas are typically required to disclose drug use, which can affect eligibility.

The redacted documents may reveal whether Harry's application matched his public admissions. Fitzwilliams questioned whether revealing the details was in the public interest but acknowledged Harry's openness about his drug use.

"I realise that the main reason Harry took drugs has been to ease the pain he felt after losing his mother," he said.

"In writing about this so openly in Spare and in the interviews he gave on television promoting it, particularly with Dr Gabor Mate, he seemed open when discussing the effects of certain drugs.

"It would therefore seem reasonable for us to know if he had mentioned he had taken them on his application form, as he should have."

President Trump previously commented on the controversy surrounding Prince Harry's immigration status. "I'll leave him alone," Trump said in February, indicating he would not interfere or push the Prince out of the US.

However, the current president added a critical remark about Meghan Markle. "He's got enough problems with his wife. She's terrible," Trump stated.

Sources close to Trump had previously indicated that Prince Harry should not receive preferential treatment.