Prince Harry: What is the Heritage Foundation and why are they after the royal's visa application?

Prince Harry's tell-all memoir Spare revealed that his relationship with illegal drugs started when he was 17 and gave a detailed account of what he took and when.

But his decision to not hold anything back seems to backfire and may now impact his immigration status in his newfound home California, US.

Under US law, anyone who admits to past abuse of illegal narcotics is generally denied entry to the country.

US-based conservative think-tank Heritage Foundation is currently ‘digging under’ Prince Harry, arguing that there is 'immense public interest' in learning how the British royal answered the question on drugs in his US visa application form.

They want to rule out that the Duke of Sussex received 'special treatment' from the authorities.

As the matter stands now, they are even suing Joe Biden's administration in a bid to force officials to release his immigration files.

Here is who the Heritage Foundation are and why they are after Prince Harry’s infamous past.

US Government will appear in court over Prince Harry’s US visa

The US Government will appear in a federal court next Tuesday to answer questions regarding Prince Harry's visa application after he admitted to using illegal drugs in his explosive Spare memoir.

According to US law, anyone with a history of abuse of illegal narcotics is generally denied entry to the country.

The conservative think-tank Heritage Foundation believes the public has the right to know if the British royal had the diligence to report his personal circumstance when applying for a visa to settle down in California with his wife Meghan Markle or if his case was up for 'special treatment'.

The Heritage Foundation announced that the hearing will be held in front of a federal judge on June 6 at 2.30pm in courtroom 17 of the Columbia District Court and that the US government will also be represented.

A decision to disclose immigration records can have implications for Prince Harry's status in the US and see his visa application rejected.

Amy Winehouse was famously denied a US visa and had to miss Grammy Awards in 2008 after admitting to drug use.

Who are the Heritage Foundation think-tank?

According to the Heritage Foundation, they stand for 'traditional American values' and want to know how Prince Harry managed to get into the US, considering his cocaine, cannabis and magic mushrooms abuse, detailed in his bombshell memoir Spare.

Heritage Foundation is a Washington DC’s based non-profit that describes its mission as ‘to formulate and promote public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense’.

The organisation is a well-known supporter of Donald Trump's politics and is amongst the most prominent climate change deniers.

They wrote on their website:

We champion policy solutions that benefit all Americans. But Heritage is also much more than a think tank. Every day, Heritage works in our nation’s capital to build an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and civil society flourish.

They also write that they are supported by ‘more than 500,000 members’.

Sources used:

- The Messenger: 'Heritage Foundation Challenge to Prince Harry Visa Over Drug Use Headed to Court'

- Mail Online: 'US government will appear in court over Prince Harry's visa application after his drug revelations in memoir'

- The Heritage Foundation