Prince Harry might be penalized by the American legal system if his recent admission of drug use is deemed to constitute perjury.
Harry has been widely sharing his personal details with the press, and this time, he may have dished out too much dirt – on himself. Harry’s U.S. visa application process is now under scrutiny, to see if he admitted his drug use before emigrating to California with Meghan Markle in 2020. He admitted to using cocaine, cannabis, and magic mushrooms in his tell-all memoir “Spare,” and his own words could land him in some legal hot water, according to the Daily Mail.
The stakes for Prince Harry are very high if his US immigration records are released.
Any dishonesty if found on his application regarding his extensive drug use would amount to perjury and would result in him being forced to leave the United States.https://t.co/BDcjiRb3b8
— Nile Gardiner (@NileGardiner) May 28, 2023
The Duke of Sussex is now facing calls for his U.S. visa application to be released to determine if he admitted to his drug use before moving to the country.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C., says his visa application must be released so American taxpayers can see if he declared his drug use. If he provided dishonest information on his application, Harry could face harsh penalties for lying to immigration officials and may be deported or barred from applying for citizenship, according to the Daily Mail.
“This request is in the public interest in light of the potential revocation of Prince Harry’s visa for illicit substance use and further questions regarding the Prince’s drug use and whether he was properly vetted before entering the United States,” said Mike Howell, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project.
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani weighed in, citing that “An admission of drug use is usually grounds for inadmissibility,” according to Page Six.
Harry spoke of his drug use freely, at one point admitting he enjoyed the psychedelic drug ayahuasca. “It brought me a sense of relaxation, release, comfort, a lightness that I managed to hold on to for a period of time,” Harry said in his memoir, according to Entertainment Tonight.
‘We could see Harry deported from the US’
American lawyer Samuel Dewey says he’s going to get to the truth amid concerns Prince Harry lied about drug use on his visa application. pic.twitter.com/jrd9r7S90U
— GB News (@GBNEWS) May 24, 2023
Immigration lawyer Sam Adair disagrees, arguing that it is “unlikely that these admissions will present a problem” since Harry did not face any drug-related criminal convictions.
Attorney James Leonard said the admission of drug experimentation during childhood that is noted in a book is not enough to spark an immigration investigation into Harry’s status. (RELATED: Courteney Cox Sets The Record Straight On Prince Harry’s Confession About Doing Drugs At Her House)
The questions Harry was asked during the application process are not yet known, as it remains unclear which type of Visa he was granted, according to Daily Mail.