Prince Harry can remain in the United States as long as Joe Biden remains president, the US ambassador said today as she laughed off Donald Trump’s threats to take “appropriate action” against him.
The Republican front-runner said last week that the Duke of Sussex could face consequences if he is found to have lied about drug use on his US visa application.
US Ambassador Jane Hartley was asked in an interview today about her comments. She laughed at the suggestion that Harry could be deported, telling Sky News: “That won’t happen in the Biden administration.”
Harry’s references to cocaine, cannabis and magic mushroom use in his memoir, Spare, led a conservative think tank to sue the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reveal the contents of his visa application.
The Heritage Foundation states that the information is from “of immense public interest” as, they claim, it could show that Harry “lied” on his visa application about his past drug use or “answered the truth” and “received special treatment.”
Donald Trump said last week that “action” could be taken against the Duke of Sussex if he is found to have lied about taking drugs on his US visa application.
US ambassador Jane Hartley laughed at the suggestion that Harry could be deported, telling Sky News: “That won’t happen in the Biden administration.”
The Biden administration is fighting the case on the grounds that visa applicants have a right to privacy.
But the foundation has responded by insisting that Harry undermined his right to privacy in the book and by “selling every aspect of his private life.”
Interviewed for GB News by Nigel Farage last Tuesday, Donald Trump said Harry should not get ‘special privileges’ if it turns out you lied.
Trump said: “We’ll have to see if they know anything about the drugs, and if he lied, they’ll have to take appropriate action.”
Asked whether “appropriate action” could mean “not staying in the United States,” Trump responded, “Oh, I don’t know.” You’ll have to tell me. You only have to tell me. You would have thought they would have known this a long time ago.
The former president also used the interview to accuse Harry and Meghan of “breaking the Queen’s heart” with their public criticism of the Royal Family.
Trump said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were “horrible” to the late monarch during Megxit and claimed that, although she did not express it publicly, they “really hurt her.”
Trump said he got to know the Queen “very well” during his state visit to the UK in 2019, calling her “incredible”.
He said: ‘I got to know her very well over the course of a couple of years. And I thought they treated her very disrespectfully,” referring to Harry and Meghan.
Trump said: “I would say that even though she wouldn’t show it because she was strong and smart, I imagine her heart was broken.”
‘The things they said were so bad and so horrible. And she was about 90 years old and she heard these things. I think they broke his heart. I think they really hurt her.’
Trump’s comments are his latest attack on the Sussexes, but serve as a warning sign given that he is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and polls show him leading Joe Biden by five points.
Interviewed for GB News by Nigel Farage last Tuesday, Donald Trump said Harry should not receive “special privileges” if it turns out he lied.
Harry has said he is considering becoming a US citizen.
Harry admitted to using cocaine and marijuana in the past, and once said that cannabis helped heal the trauma of his mother’s death.
The duke said that using ayahuasca, the psychedelic drug, he realized his mother wanted him to be “happy.”
Prince Harry’s book, Spare
The issue was back in the news after Harry’s February interview with Good Morning America, in which the question of whether he was seeking U.S. citizenship was raised.
“American citizenship is a thought that has crossed my mind, but it is certainly not something that is a high priority for me right now,” he said.
Anyone applying for a visa to live and work in the United States must answer “yes” or “no” to the question: “Are you or have you ever been a drug addict or addict?”
Harry’s US visa application in March 2020 could show that he checked the “no” box on questions about his drug use, The Heritage Foundation claims.
US immigration authorities routinely ask about drug use on their visa applications, and it has been linked to travel headaches for celebrities including Nigella Lawson, Amy Winehouse and Kate Moss.
Acknowledgment of past drug use does not necessarily result in visa rejection or prevent individuals from entering or remaining in the country.