Could Prince Harry's past drug use have him kicked out of US?

Stories from Prince Harry's life are slowly becoming public knowledge as the release date for his memoir Spare approaches and one story about the Duke of Sussex participating in recreational drugs is sticking with people.

After copies of the Duke's book went on sale in Spain, several news outlets got ahold of the memoir and released some juicy stories to the public.

One of which concerns Harry's recreational drug use in his youth.

In the Duke's youth, he was known to party quite a bit and admits that he used cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, and more to cope with his mother, Princess Diana's, death.

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In an interview with Anderson Cooper for 60 Minutes, Harry said while he doesn't recommend people use drugs recreationally but admits they helped him 'clear the windshield of the misery and loss.'

Many are praising Harry's honest and vulnerable recount of grief in his life, but others expressed concern that the former senior Royal Family member has jeopardized his chances of living in the US.

@bouldie

According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, "applicants who are found to be drug abusers or addicts are inadmissible."

Although Harry is not currently suffering from drug abuse, his past illegal drug use raised concerns that he could be kicked out of the US should he have failed to mention it when filling out a visa form.

Professor Alberto Benítez from George Washington University's Immigration Clinic told The Telegraph, “[Harry] would have been asked [about drug use]. If he was truthful in his answers, he should have been denied."

@TianaTheFirst

Since leaving the Royal Family formally in 2020, Harry and his wife Meghan took up residence in Montecito, California with their two children.

It is unknown what type of visa Harry is on as it could be spousal or O-1 for "individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement."

However, Professor Benítez admitted that US immigration may have granted Harry a visa due to his status.

“If he wasn’t Prince Harry, if was ‘Fred Jones’ and he had this kind of a background, he’d have a lot more scrutiny and I could certainly see the green card being denied,” Professor Benítez said.

A spokesperson for the US State Department told the Daily Mail that, "applications are adjudicated on a case-by-case basis" and they "cannot speculate on whether someone may or may not be eligible for a visa."

If you or someone you know is suffering from drug addiction, you can seek confidential help and support 24-7 from Frank, by calling 0300 123 6600, texting 82111, sending an email or visiting their website here.

In the US, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP.

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