Federal lawyers have said that Prince Harry’s memoir, ‘Spare,’ is “not proof he took drugs.” The Duke of Sussex may have lied to sell more copies of his book, they have said.
Harry admitted that he took cocaine, cannabis, and psychedelic mushrooms in his 2023 book. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) argued he may have lied to make his book more intiguing to fans.
“The book isn’t sworn testimony or proof,” John Bardo told the DC court, according to The Telegraph. “Saying something in a book doesn’t necessarily make it true.”
The Department of Homeland Security was sued by the Heritage Foundation after failing to obtain Harry’s visa application. Biden Administration lawyers are now arguing before a court about Spare.
‘The records are particularly sensitive’
The Department of Homeland Security lawyers said that releasing the paperwork would be “an unwarranted invasion of Prince Harry’s privacy” as it would have asked Harry if he previously used drugs.
“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,” the lawyers argued. “Courts consistently hold that a person’s visa or immigration status is private, personal information exempt from disclosure.”
{{/usCountry}}“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,” the lawyers argued. “Courts consistently hold that a person’s visa or immigration status is private, personal information exempt from disclosure.”
{{/usCountry}}Director of the Heritage Foundation, Nile Gardiner, said he believes Harry’s application privacy is “preposterous” as it “really matters to Americans.”
“This case raises many issues as two whether or not people are given any special treatment in coming to the United States and whether or not the rule of law is applied equally,” he said
“The issue of migration in the United States has become the number one issue in the presidential election,” he added. “The American people expect their leader to enforce immigration law strictly and this should apply to anyone entering the US including royals like Prince Harry.”
Harry was accused of lying about his drug use on his visa application. Had he admitted to usage of illegal substances, the consequences may have been severe.
Gardiner believes the royal has “never denied anything in his own book.” He added that Harry could have entered the US in three ways, including lying on his visa.
Bardo said it was “certainly possible” that Harry used a diplomat’s visa to enter the US. “He’s still a member of the British royal family and has the title Duke of Sussex… he’s still a government official in the UK by his birth and title,” he told the court. This was, however, dismissed by the Heritage Foundation, which said the “whole world knows he’s not a working royal” and it would be “absurd” for him to have entered that way.