US President Donald Trump has stated that he has no intention of deporting Prince Harry from the US, despite the ongoing legal battle over his immigration status.
“I don’t want to do that,” Trump said on Friday. “I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”
Prince Harry’s immigration status is currently the subject of a lawsuit in Washington, DC.
Conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation alleges that Harry may have concealed illegal drug use that should have disqualified him from obtaining a US visa.
In his memoir Spare, Harry admitted to using cocaine several times as a teenager and experimenting with cannabis and mushrooms.
The Heritage Foundation has cited these admissions in its legal challenge against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as it seeks the release of Harry’s visa records.
There have been claims that Trump’s predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, may have granted Harry preferential treatment when he moved to California following ‘Megxit’—when he and Meghan stepped down from royal duties.
The think tank had previously attempted to obtain Harry’s visa records through US Customs and Border Protection, which stated that it required the Duke of Sussex’s consent to release the documents.
Trump’s latest remarks suggest a shift in stance, as he had previously hinted last March that deportation was a possibility.
Speaking to GB News at the time, he said, “We’ll have to see if they know something about the drugs, and if he lied, they’ll have to take appropriate action.”
According to the US Department of State, drug-related convictions can make visa applicants ineligible.
The Heritage Foundation initially sought Harry’s visa details through Freedom of Information Act requests before escalating the matter to court. However, Harry himself is not directly involved in the lawsuit.
This week, Judge Carl Nichols instructed the DHS to outline potential redactions in Harry’s visa records, suggesting that parts of the documents could be made public.
Previously, on September 9, Judge Nichols had ruled that the records should remain confidential.
It remains unclear whether Harry is on a regular visa, a diplomatic visa, or holds a green card for permanent residency in the US.
