Summary:
- Former President Donald Trump states he won’t pursue Prince Harry’s deportation despite visa controversy, criticizing Meghan Markle as “terrible”.
- Legal challenges persist as Heritage Foundation alleges Harry concealed drug use (cocaine, cannabis, psychedelics) from his memoir Spare in visa applications.
- Trump praises Prince William as “a great young man”, contrasting his stance with Biden administration’s handling of Harry’s 2020 US relocation.
- Ongoing lawsuit seeks transparency about potential preferential treatment in Harry’s immigration process amid Sussexes’ strained royal ties.
Former President Donald Trump has stated he will not pursue deportation proceedings against Prince Harry, despite ongoing legal challenges regarding the Duke of Sussex’s U.S. immigration status. “I’ll leave him alone,” Trump told The New York Post on February 8, 2025, adding, “He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.” The remarks came amid a Heritage Foundation lawsuit alleging Harry may have concealed past drug use in his visa application.
The controversy stems from admissions in Harry’s 2023 memoir Spare, where he detailed using cocaine, cannabis, and psychedelics. U.S. immigration law typically requires applicants to disclose substance abuse history, prompting the conservative think tank to sue for release of the prince’s visa records. Heritage Foundation foreign policy analyst Nile Gardiner asserted, “Anyone who applies to the United States has to be truthful on their application, and it is not clear that is the case with Prince Harry.”
Trump contrasted his approach with the Biden administration, which approved Harry and Meghan’s 2020 relocation to California following their royal exit. The former president praised Harry’s brother, Prince William, as “a great young man,” referencing their private meeting during Notre-Dame Cathedral’s reopening in Paris last December. This follows years of public friction between Trump and the Sussexes, including Meghan’s 2020 description of the then-president as “divisive” and “misogynistic,” and Trump’s characterization of Harry as “whipped” by his wife.
The immigration status dispute highlights ongoing tensions surrounding the Sussexes’ post-royal lives in America. While Trump has ruled out administrative action, the Heritage Foundation’s legal challenge continues through federal courts, maintaining scrutiny on whether the Duke received preferential treatment during the visa process.
