US court to hear challenge over Prince Harry's visa following drug revelations

Prince Harry's US immigration records should be unsealed in the light of revelations about drug-taking in his recent book, a conservative think tank will argue in a federal court next week.

The Heritage Foundation is suing the US government to find out if it acted according to procedure when it granted the Duke of Sussex a US visa. Under US immigration law, evidence of past drug use can be grounds to reject an application.

The case will be held in front of a federal judge on June 6 at the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

The Heritage Foundation filed a complaint under the Freedom of Information Act, attempting to compel the government to release Harry's immigration file. "The requested information is of immense public interest," reads an amended complaint filed on May 5.

"Widespread and continuous media coverage has surfaced the question of whether DHS [Department of Homeland Security] properly admitted the Duke of Sussex in light of the fact that he has publicly admitted to the essential elements of a number of drug offenses in both the United States and abroad," it continues.

The original request for Harry's records was rejected because Harry had not indicated that he "consented to his information being released," the US Justice Department said in court papers.

In addition, DOJ argues that "citations to speculation about the status of Prince Harry's visa are not sufficient to meet the standard" to speed up the process of releasing the document.