Donald Trump will not be protecting Prince Harry if he's reelected.
Speaking to the press, Trump called the Duke of Sussex's treatment of the late queen “unforgivable” and shared his indignation at the decision by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to keep the status of Harry's immigration application under wraps.
“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 said in no uncertain terms.
Newsweek has more on the bubbling feud:
The former president has previously said he is “not a fan” of Meghan Markle multiple times but renewed his criticisms at a time when Harry's relationship with America is in the spotlight.
The Duke of Sussex told Good Morning America he had considered getting U.S. citizenship during a February 14 interview.
Prince Harry was accused of blindsiding the queen when he published his exit plans online in January 2020, a charge he has resisted.
Harry and Meghan have in fact both sought to position themselves as close to Queen Elizabeth II while a number of biographies have suggested points of tension, including over their decision to name their daughter Lilibet after her childhood, family nickname.
Harry's immigration status appeared front and center in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Friday, where lawyers for the conservative Heritage Foundation argued for the immediate release of the royal's immigration records given his penchant for using illicit drugs.
“Given Prince Harry's extensive drug use admissions, normally disqualifying for entry into the United States, Americans deserve to know if Prince Harry lied on his application and DHS looked the other way or gave him otherwise preferential treatment. DHS has refused to release these records. Oversight Project Counsel Sam Dewey will argue that the records should be released at this hearing. The court will likely issue a written opinion after this hearing,” a media advisory from the Heritage Foundation's Oversight Project read.
Harry admitted to using illegal drugs in his 2023 memoir “Spare.” He confessed to using marijuana, cocaine and psychedelic mushrooms.
DHS lawyers claim that releasing Harry's visa application would constitute “an unwarranted invasion” of his privacy.
“The records are particularly sensitive because releasing them, even in part, would reveal Prince Harry's status in the United States, which Prince Harry has not disclosed,” they argued.
“Courts consistently hold that a person's visa or immigration status is private, personal information exempt from disclosure.”
Nile Gardiner, director of the Heritage Foundation's Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, countered that Harry's visa application matters because it will show if certain people “are given any special treatment” when entering the United States.
“The issue of migration in the United States has become the number one issue in the presidential election,” Gardiner added.
“The American people expect their leader to enforce immigration law strictly, and this should apply to anyone entering the U.S., including royals like Prince Harry.”
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