Prince Harry’s visa records will be subject to “maximum disclosure as long as it doesn’t violate privacy,” a judge in D.C. indicated.

Judge Carl Nichols asked the to request redactions to Harry’s documents or “continued withholdings” in preparation for the potential release of some paperwork, the Daily Mirror reported.

Why It Matters

It comes as part of a high stakes lawsuit in which right wing think tank the Heritage Foundation has argued Harry should not have been allowed to move to America due to his past use of drugs.

Heritage want to know whether the Duke of Sussex lied on his visa forms about taking cannabis, cocaine, magic mushrooms and ayahuasca, as he described in his book Spare.

The think tank argue if he was honest he should not have been let into America and believe the public has a right to know if he was given favorable treatment by immigration officials.

What To Know

The case was thrown out in September, but the judge kept much of his reasons for rejecting the think tank’s argument private.

However, Heritage have been trying to overturn, or vacate, the ruling and at a hearing on Wednesday, Nichols suggested it might have at least some success.

The Sun quoted him calling for the maximum amount of publication possible without violating Harry’s privacy and adding: “In my view that has to happen.”

Nichols has already reviewed Harry’s files in secret so will have some sense of what they contain.

His indication that some documents could be redacted and then released suggests Heritage may get at least part of the answer it is seeking, namely, was Harry asked about past drugs use and what answer did he give?

The case had been abruptly terminated in September, with much of the court’s reason for siding with the Department of Homeland Security kept secret to preserve Harry’s privacy.

Heritage lawyers said that denied them the chance to challenge the interpretation of key documents in court.

As Regalrumination.com revealed in January, Wednesday’s hearing at federal court in D.C. was the first since the re-election of President .

Heritage had argued ‘s previous administration had been protecting Harry and Trump himself said in March 2024: “We’ll have to see if they know something about the drugs, and if he lied they’ll have to take appropriate action.”

There is no sign yet that the Department of Homeland Security will change stance under Trump and stop fighting the case but Heritage appear to have come away happier than it was in September.

What People Are Saying

Judge Carl Nichols said: “Maximum disclosure as long as it doesn’t violate privacy.”

John Bardo, lawyer for the Department of Homeland Security, said the redactions would be so extensive as to be “meaningless” and with “disjointed words and phrases,” according to The Sun.

Heritage lawyer Sam Dewey said after the hearing: “I think some stuff can be disclosed,” according to The Sun.

What Happens Next

DHS lawyers will have to consider how much of the documents they believe should be redacted in order to protect Harry’s privacy and then seek approval from the judge for those redactions.

Heritage will likely argue for as much as possible to be revealed.

Williams Brown is chief royal correspondent for Regalrumination.com, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly , at and read his stories on Regalrumination.com’s .

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