The White House has pleaded with a court to keep a law enforcement document related to Prince Harry’s visa application confidential. Lawyers for the Department of Homeland Security argued that releasing the papers would create a “stigma” if released.

The plea appeared in a 53-page transcript from a February court hearing regarding a request from America’s conservative Heritage Foundation to disclose details of Prince Harry’s application. The dispute centres on what the Duke of Sussex disclosed to US authorities about his past drug use.

In his memoir, Spare, the 39-year-old admitted to using cocaine, marijuana, and psychedelic mushrooms. Although past drug use does not automatically disqualify someone from entering the States, lying about it on a visa application typically results in being barred from the country.

The Heritage Foundation has filed a freedom of information request to access the records related to Harry’s March 2020 visa application. However, the Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly blocked this request, citing the prince’s right to privacy.

During the February hearing, the court questioned John Bardo, the department’s lawyer, on the reasons for withholding the records. “Many of these records, your honour, are law enforcement records,” Bardo explained. “So there is a stigma associated with being mentioned in a law enforcement record.”

The lawyer also noted that releasing the files would reveal “confidential law enforcement tools”. He added: “The government has cited multiple cases in its brief about the private nature of immigration records and about the fact that people who are public figures still maintain their privacy interests.”

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