EXCLUSIVE: Mystery and Anger as 18 Prince Harry Visa Documents Are Withheld in US
Prince Harry's US immigration history is under the spotlight again.
Aug. 13 2026, Published 4:20 p.m. ET
Prince Harry is at the center of renewed fury and mystery over his US immigration history after the State Department confirmed that 18 documents concerning the Duke of Sussex have been withheld in their entirety, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The development emerged in the continuing Freedom of Information Act battle over government records connected to Harry, 41, who has lived in the US for six years.
FOIA Battle Over Prince Harry's Files
The US State Department confirmed 18 responsive documents on Prince Harry were withheld.
Court documents show officials have been reviewing hundreds of records following legal action seeking information related to the duke, whose disclosures about past drug use in his memoir Spare previously prompted questions about his immigration paperwork.
A source familiar with the dispute said the decision to withhold all 18 records would inevitably fuel frustration among those campaigning for greater disclosure.
The insider exclusively told Radar: "The fact that 18 responsive documents have been identified and every single one has been withheld naturally creates more questions for people who have been pursuing this information.
"It doesn't establish that Harry did anything wrong, and there may be legitimate legal and privacy reasons for withholding the material. But campaigners seeking disclosure will inevitably be frustrated because they've spent years trying to establish what information the US government holds concerning him."
"The mystery remains because the public knows these records exist without knowing what they contain, and there is real anger they are being kept secret," the insider added.
"But unless a court eventually determines that further information should be released, that may remain the position."
Thousands Of Pages Under Review
Officials are reviewing 307 documents comprising nearly 2,500 pages related to the case.
According to Newsweek, State Department officials have been processing material obtained through searches of government computer systems for months.
The department is reviewing 307 documents totaling 2,487 pages, although none is currently expected to be publicly released.
A joint status report filed in US District Court in Washington, DC, said: "This case stems from a Freedom of Information Act 'FOIA' request Plaintiffs submitted to the Department for records regarding Henry Charles Albert David, also known as 'the Duke of Sussex' or 'Prince Harry.'"
It added: "The State Department made its first interim production in this case on July 30, 2026, in which it identified 18 responsive records, all withheld in their entirety."
Heritage Foundation Legal Push
Prince Harry candidly disclosed past drug use in his memoir Spare.
The legal battle follows an earlier attempt by the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation to force the Department of Homeland Security to disclose Harry's visa records.
The organization argued there was a public interest in establishing whether Harry accurately disclosed his previous drug use when applying to enter the US.
Harry wrote openly in Spare about using drugs when he was younger.
Judge Carl Nichols rejected the Heritage Foundation's attempt to obtain the immigration records, ruling Harry's privacy interests outweighed the asserted public interest in releasing them.
The Heritage Foundation subsequently launched another case against the State Department in 2025, this time seeking other records concerning Harry while excluding the visa documents themselves.
The duke's immigration records are considered unlikely to be released in full because of the privacy protections repeatedly recognized by the court.
Sources close to Harry have consistently maintained he was truthful in his US visa application.
Admissions of Past Drug Use
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The State Department confirmed all initial records were fully withheld.
In Spare, Harry admitted to using cocaine, cannabis, and psychedelic magic mushrooms as coping mechanisms to deal with personal trauma, panic attacks, and the pressures of royal life.
He detailed specific experiences with each substance, explaining his primary objective was to feel different and escape reality.
Harry wrote that he was offered a line of cocaine at the age of 17 during a hunting weekend, followed by a few subsequent uses.
He stated it "wasn't very fun" and did not make him happy, but "it did make me feel different, and that was my main objective." The royal also smoked marijuana during his time as a student at Eton and later while living at Nottingham Cottage in 2015.
He noted in his book that marijuana "really did help me" compared to other substances.
Harry also consumed magic mushrooms washed down with tequila at a party hosted by Friends actress Courteney Cox in California in January 2016.
He described it leading to him having hallucinations in a bathroom, claiming he saw a dustbin turn into a head which spoke to him and watched a toilet bowl open its mouth.
