Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have had plenty on their minds since their royal exit. The Duke and Duchess chose to reveal many things about their former lives as members of the Royal Family, and while they gained supporters in doing so, they also made a lot of enemies.
While the couple has undergone a massive transformation with regards to their life and livelihood, the fact that they have constantly drawn attention with their tell-all interviews, Netflix series, and Harry’s book, Spare, has left a bad taste in the mouths of some.
For Harry, one revelation in particular could end up having dire consequences. In Spare, he revealed he had previously tried various recreational drugs. When he and Meghan moved to the US, he had to apply for a Visa, the application for which had various questions regarding, for example, past drug use, which itself can be a reason for declining a person’s entrance into the US.
At the same time, President Donald Trump has been clear that if Harry lied on his application, he may have grounds to deport him. However, he might not need to, as a new bombshell claim states that a UK return for Harry and Meghan could be on the cards.
Prince Harry made many an enemy after his royal exit, including his brother, Prince William. Harry and Meghan moved far away from anything that could be considered royal when they left British shores, but their US life could sadly have an abrupt ending. That is because of President Donald Trump, with whom Harry doesn’t have the best relationship.
In March 2024, the American conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for access to Harry’s immigration records. When applying for certain American visas, one must disclose whether they have ever taken drugs, which could result in their application being denied.
In his tell-all memoir, Spare, Harry disclosed the truth, revealing that he had previously used various drugs and psychedelics, including cocaine, marijuana, and magic mushrooms. He also admitted that he had lied as a teenager about using cocaine.
“Of course…I had been doing cocaine around this time…I’d been offered a line, and I’d done a few more since. I was a deeply unhappy 17-year-old boy willing to try almost anything that would alter the status quo. That was what I told myself anyway,” Harry wrote in Spare.
Can Prince Harry be deported from the US?
He went on to explain how he used psychedelic drugs and that they allowed him to “escape reality for a while.”
“All the great seers and philosophers say our daily life is an illusion. I always felt the truth in that. But how reassuring it was, after nibbling a mushroom, or ingesting ayahuasca, to experience it for myself,” he continued.
The Heritage Foundation explained why they had sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for access to Harry’s immigration records.
“Harry has publicly admitted to extensive illegal drug use. What do we submit this means? That Harry seems to have received special treatment: the [Department of Homeland Security] looked the other way if the prince answered truthfully, or it looked the other way if the prince lied on his visa application. Either action would be wrong,” it read.
The federal courts assessed Prince Harry’s visa application, but in September, a judge ruled that it should remain private. However, in late January 2025, the case appears to be reopened. The first court hearing is set for February 5.
“It is ORDERED that the Parties shall appear for a hearing on [Heritage’s] Motion for Relief from Judgment,” a ruling seen by Newsweek read.
Donald Trump aims to take “appropriate action” if Harry lied on his Visa
Donald Trump has an icy relationship with Meghan Markle, and once labeled her “nasty.” Meanwhile, he has taken a clear stance on what he thought about Harry leaving the Royal Family, but whether he can do anything about the Duke potentially lying on his visa application remains to be seen. The president claimed that the prince could be deported if he lied about his past drug use on his visa application.
“We’ll have to see if they know something about the drugs, and if he lied they’ll have to take appropriate action,” Trump told GB News in March last year.
Just a month earlier, Trump clarified that he “wouldn’t protect” Harry if he won the 2024 presidential election, which he did.
“I wouldn’t protect him. He betrayed the Queen. That’s unforgivable. He would be on his own if it was down to me,” Trump told the Express, adding that he believes the Royal Family was “too gracious” to Harry after “what he has done.”
As of now, Harry is not a US citizen, though he has considered becoming one. Speaking with ABC News, he said it had crossed his mind to apply for citizenship but that it’s “certainly not” a high priority. Sadly, according to a royal expert, the prince nonetheless most likely regrets that he wrote about his drug use in his memoir.
“Harry deeply regrets ever making his drug-taking public”
Royal expert Tom Quinn spoke to the Mirror last year on the subject, saying that Harry hopes to be spared over the revelations.
“Harry initially thought this couldn’t possibly happen to him as the normal rules don’t apply to a Royal Prince, but he is increasingly realizing that in the United States being a prince doesn’t actually count for very much. But one thing is for sure Harry deeply regrets ever making his drug-taking public. It never occurred to him that this might end up threatening his whole life plan,” Quinn said.
“He finds the day long and lonely,” he added. “Meghan does her best to support Harry, but she is in her natural environment, and he is in a strange unfamiliar world which grows increasingly unfriendly.”
So, Harry could technically be kicked out of the country, even if that’s difficult to imagine. However, the fact that there is even a risk of it happening has forced Harry and Meghan to act. According to royal expert Hugo Vickers, Harry is on very thin ice with Trump and has decided to forge a “backup plan.”
“Knowing the character of Trump, he’s quite likely to want to do something which sort of bangs the fist on the table and establishes his authority. And also something which would get a lot of publicity,” Vickers told The Sun.
“So I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he suddenly said ‘Right, I’m sending Prince Harry out of this country.’ And the reasons that he would use would be the drug issue, because Prince Harry has admitted to taking marijuana, cocaine, magic mushrooms – and may not have filled that in on his visa form.”
Prince Harry won’t be forgiven by Trump, expert claims
The royal expert continued by saying that Trump’s “reasoning” behind pushing them out of the country could also be because of his and Meghan Markle’s bad history.
“Meghan has been quite rude about him over the years, and I think Prince Harry has too. When Trump came to England to see the Queen, he went away telling people that she thought he was her favourite president. So his line has very much been that he resents Prince Harry having caused the Queen so much grief in the last two years of her life,” Vickers added.
“And Trump has stated publicly he won’t forgive Harry. Trump probably thinks ‘I got on well with the Queen’, which he definitely did, and ‘I would like to respect her memory by booting him out.’”
Vickers concluded: “He doesn’t really abide by the rules. To get Harry out, he would stump the table and tell somebody to look into the way you do these things and just fix it. You know that’s the way he is.”
President Trump has a lot on his plate as he took office just two weeks ago. Even so, royal expert and former BBC royal correspondent told the Mirror that Harry and Meghan are living in uncertainty and worry.
“It must be rather awkward having a President of the United States whom Meghan has openly criticized and who has the power to throw Harry out of the country if his visa application was proved to be fraudulent,” Bond said.
Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s future
“You could say that it’s squeaky bum time for the Sussexes, but the fact is that the most powerful man in the free world probably has more to think about than the residency rights of an estranged Prince of the United Kingdom.”
In the past year, reports surrounding Harry and Meghan have focused a lot on their relationship. The couple has gone through a “professional separation,” and in recent months, they have appeared at events solo rather than together, which they always did before. Sources have claimed Harry misses his old friends and possibly even his old life, as well as speculation that he has looked at houses in the UK. Still, Jennie Bond says Harry is focused on staying in the US.
“I still think that Harry is intent on carving out a future for himself and his family in California. Once you have children, and they start school, the roots that you have established grow far more quickly,” the royal expert said.
“It’s harder than ever to up sticks and move away because of the instability that can cause for the family. So I think Harry is happy to continue his family life in California but, hopefully, spend more of his time on his charity work into which I think he can pour his heart and soul.”
However, not everyone believes Harry and his family will settle in the US forever. Now, rumors suggest they could make a shocking return to the UK.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could make ‘shocking return to the UK’
Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive Show, royal correspondent Bronte Coy at news.com.au claims Harry’s mindset about the UK could change–and make him want to return to his home country.
“A lot of things have changed in the past five years and it’s entirely possible that, with some reflection, there’s a big part of him wondering if there’s a way to bring the UK back into his life;” Coy said.
“He wants to ensure the safety of himself and his family while in the UK so his children can know his home country and so he can help his patronages and their important work.”
The royal expert concluded: “When they left, they left in such a passionate blaze of glory – they were so disheartened and bruised by the situation they’d had back here. With all these things, once the dust settles and the emotion gets taken out of it a bit, the reality is he loves his home country – he talked about it in his memoir. After a few years, he probably just very much misses it.”
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