The United States' ambassador to the United Kingdom, Jane Hartley, finds herself at the center of a legal controversy as a new lawsuit accuses her of protecting Prince Harry from potential deportation over his admitted drug use. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, is suing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to gain access to the royal's visa documents, alleging that the Biden-appointed ambassador is shielding the prince from the consequences of any false statements he may have made on his immigration paperwork.
The legal battle comes in the wake of Prince Harry's bombshell memoir, "Spare," in which he wrote about experimenting with various drugs and psychedelics, including cocaine, marijuana, and magic mushrooms. The revelations have raised questions about whether the Duke of Sussex properly disclosed this information on his visa application when he relocated to the United States in 2020.
In a recent interview with Sky News, Ambassador Hartley stated that Harry would not face deportation, even if he had lied on his immigration documents. "It's not gonna happen in the Biden administration," she declared, prompting The Heritage Foundation to file a 100-page lawsuit accusing her of protecting the prince.
Nile Gardiner, Director of The Heritage Foundation's Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, criticized Hartley's comments, calling them "an extraordinary intervention by a senior US diplomat on an ongoing federal court case." He further claimed that the Biden administration "has gone to great lengths to protect Prince Harry and has even ruled out the possible deportation of the Duke of Sussex if he lied on his US immigration application and violated US immigration law."
The DHS has already issued a statement asserting that releasing Prince Harry's visa paperwork would be "an unwarranted invasion of Prince Harry's privacy." However, District Judge Carl Nichols, who is overseeing the case, has requested to review the documents himself to assess whether they should be made public.
The legal battle has also drawn the attention of former President Donald Trump, who weighed in on the issue, stating, "We'll have to see if they know something about the drugs, and if he lied, they'll have to take appropriate action." Trump previously criticized the Biden administration for being too lenient with Harry, claiming that the prince would not receive the same treatment if he were still in office.
"I wouldn't protect him. He betrayed the Queen. That's unforgivable. He would be on his own if it was down to me," Trump told the Express. "I think they have been too gracious to him after what he has done."
The lawsuit filed by The Heritage Foundation highlights the potential consequences of making false or misleading statements on government paperwork, as the U.S. government warns immigrants that such actions could lead to deportation. The think tank argues that the public has a right to know whether Prince Harry complied with immigration laws and properly disclosed his drug use on his visa application.
As the legal battle unfolds, the spotlight remains on Ambassador Hartley's comments and the Biden administration's handling of the situation. Critics argue that the ambassador's statement undermines the integrity of the immigration system and sets a dangerous precedent for high-profile individuals seeking to enter the United States.
