Prince Harry tells about his life in his book “Spare”. He openly reports that he has taken drugs several times since he was a teenager. Because of this, however, he could now lose his US visa.
Montecito – While Prince William (40) has an almost flawless image and is considered a picture book heir to the throne Prince Harry (38) caused a number of scandals since his youth. Long dubbed the “reserve” for his older brother in British tabloid media, the Duke of Sussex broke the crown in 2021 and largely turned his back on his royal life. At the side of his great love, the American actress Meghan Markle (41), he dares a new beginning in California – but his complicated past does not seem to be over yet.
Drug confession in autobiography “Spare”: Prince Harry’s US visa could be at risk
After Harry and Meghan already gave a deep look with their six-hour Netflix documentary in December, the son of King Charles III. (74) now look back on his eventful life with his autobiography “Spare”. Instead of a personal and sympathetic story, the work, which will be published by Random House on January 10, turns out to be one of the biggest royals scandals of recent years. In addition to severely criticizing the British royal family, Prince Harry makes a number of startling admissions and reveals that he has tried cocaine, marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms since he was a teenager.
However, the surprising anecdote about his experience with narcotics could be his undoing, because with his drug confession Prince Harry is endangering his US visa, as the Daily Mail to a report by Sunday Times called. For example, drug use is a reason for refusing an applicant for a United States visa. It is not known which entry permit Harry has, but according to experts it is most likely a spousal visa or a so-called O-1 visa, which is often issued to celebrities and athletes and has to be renewed every three years.
Prince Harry’s memoir “Spare” controversial even before it went on sale
On January 10, 2023, Prince Harry’s memoirs “Spare” will be published by Random House – but these prove to be controversial even before publication. Although the work is described as an honest look back at Harry’s life and experiences, many royals pundits believe it could also be a harsh critique of British royalty. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th, 2022 and a resulting wave of public skepticism towards the British monarchy, this could have devastating consequences. “The British Royal Family (…) must earn and keep the respect of the public,” explains Royals author Valentine Low, “If this is ever damaged in any fundamental or permanent way, it could be very serious.”
(Source: nytimes.com)
‘Assuming green card would be denied’: expert gives verdict on Harry’s drug confession
If Harry has an O-1 visa, it may not be renewed after his controversial confession, but according to Professor Alberto Benítez of George Washington University, there are two possible cases for Prince Harry. On the one hand, there is the possibility that he honestly disclosed all aspects of his past, including drugs, when he was naturalized in 2020, but on the other hand that he deliberately withheld these details. The latter could well result in his residence permit being revoked, as the Daily Mail on Benítez’ interview with TheTelegraph relates.
As Benítez goes on to explain, it’s possible that due to Harry’s royal status, his transgressions have been overlooked. “If he wasn’t Prince Harry, if he were ‘Fred Jones’ and had that kind of background, he would be screened far more and it’s likely the green card would be denied,” the expert describes Harry’s situation.
As a spokesman for the US authorities according to the Daily Mail across from TheTimes confirmed, visa applications will be decided on a case-by-case basis – however, exact details of Harry could not be given. But it stands to reason that before the publication of his revealing book, the Duke of Sussex sat down with a publicist to check the work for compromising passages. Meanwhile, his wife Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, released secret text messages from his daughter. Sources used: dailymail.co.uk, nytimes.com
