Donald Trump's controversial Homeland Security Secretary nomination 'could launch review' of Harry court case

Noem has been an outspoken critic of immigration and the southern border under the management of the incumbent Biden-Harris administration.

If appointed in the role, Noem will be in charge of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - which has been at loggerheads with the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank, over the past year.

After the release of Prince Harry's book Spare, where he admitted to taking recreational drugs in his youth, the Heritage Foundation sued the DHS for the release of the Duke of Sussex's visa papers.

Those seeking a visa in the US must declare whether they have taken drugs in the past, which can later affect their eligibility.

The Heritage Foundation wants to know whether Joe Biden's administration was protecting Prince Harry, and therefore wants to see the duke's visa documents be made public.

Nile Gardiner, the director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation, spoke exclusively to GB News following Noem's nomination as Homeland Security Secretary, to explain how this could impact Prince Harry's future in the US.

He said: "Because you have an entirely new administration, they may well take an entirely different approach to this issue. We called for the release of Prince Harry’s immigration records by the Biden administration.

"So this new administration could decide to release the records and make them public. The President could decide to do that.

"Kristi Noem, the nomination for Homeland Security Secretary, could launch a review of Harry's immigration records.

"There are multiple things that could happen here. President Trump has made it clear in the past that if Harry lied on his application, he would take appropriate action.

"So it's our view that the new administration should release Harry's records to the American people, and that is the prerogative of the President to decide whether that happens or not.

"It's in the interest of openness and transparency and the full enforcement of US immigration law that the American people get to see Harry’s immigration records, and the Biden administration went to the ends of the earth to try and stop the release of Harry’s records.

"Why is that? What are they hiding, and why are they going to great lengths to defend the privacy of Prince Harry, which is the Biden administration's whole argument against the release?

"It just seems very odd. Why is Biden protecting Prince Harry? I do think this new administration will likely take a different approach, and they should just release the records. I think there's a good chance that might happen actually."

Earlier this year, Noem was the subject of intense scrutiny after writing in her memoir about killing a family dog she called "untrainable" and "dangerous."

The backlash has been credited with lessening her chances of becoming Trump's Vice President pick, which eventually went to JD Vance.

Elizabeth Neumann, assistant Homeland Security secretary in Trump's first White House tenure, told CNN it is "concerning" the DHS now does not have the kind of leader it deserves.

However, Noem has said she acknowledges the various responsibilities of Homeland Security, including FEMA and cybersecurity.

She added that "everything that I do will be focused on making America SAFE again, and that will make South Dakota safer, as well".