“`
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former U.S. President Donald Trump indicated on Tuesday that he would take action if Prince Harry was found to have lied on his visa application regarding drug use, should he win the upcoming presidential election. Trump did not rule out the possibility of Harry being forced to leave the United States.
Trump’s remarks were made during an interview with British right-leaning media outlet GB News, conducted by presenter and vocal Harry critic Nigel Farage.
Applicants for U.S. visas are required to disclose any history of drug use, as it can impact their application status. Providing false information on an application can lead to penalties, including deportation.
Prince Harry, who has resided in California since 2020, admitted to past illegal drug use in his memoir “Spare.” This disclosure prompted the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation to file a lawsuit against the U.S. Homeland Security Department to access Harry’s immigration records. A judge recently ruled that the specifics of Harry’s visa application should be disclosed to the court.
In his interview with Trump, Farage inquired whether Prince Harry should receive any special treatment if he had indeed lied on his application.
“No. We’ll have to see if they know something about the drugs, and if he lied they’ll have to take appropriate action,” responded Trump.
When asked if this could result in Harry being required to leave America, Trump stated, “Oh I don’t know. You’ll have to tell me. You just have to tell me. You would have thought they would have known this a long time ago.”
Since stepping back from their royal duties and relocating to California, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have frequently expressed discontent with how they were treated by the British royal family.
They have spoken out in various forums, such as an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, a Netflix documentary series, and Harry’s forthcoming book, alleging that the royal family and its advisors failed to shield them from negative media coverage and leaked disparaging stories.
The couple, who wed in 2018, have largely refrained from visiting Britain following their move to the United States.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
“`
