Claims that Prince Harry received special treatment when he emigrated to the United States are false, the Trump administration said Tuesday.

A lawyer from the Department of Homeland Security said that Harry’s application followed all the ‘applicable rules and regulations’.

Heavily redacted documents were revealed on Tuesday following a lawsuit by the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank, attempting to prove that Harry had been untruthful about his drug use on his visa application.

But despite a judge vowing to release as much material as possible, Harry’s actual immigration file has remained private.

The released documents, consisting of six files, were filled with redacted sections to safeguard Harry’s privacy and shield him from potential harassment.

Harry is likely relieved by the partial disclosure of the documents as it signals a potential conclusion to the legal battle initiated by Heritage against the Department of Homeland Security last year, which had sparked fears of Harry facing deportation under the administration of Donald Trump.

DHS had refused a Freedom of Information request from Heritage for Harry’s visa files on the grounds that he may have lied about whether or not he was a drug user.

In his memoir, ‘Spare’, and his Netflix TV series Harry talked about using cannabis, cocaine and magic mushrooms.

Prince Harry did not get special treatment when he emigrated to the United States, the Trump administration has claimed

A lawyer from the Department of Homeland Security said that Harry’s application followed all the ‘applicable rules and regulations’ 

The claim was made in documents that were made public on Tuesday after a lawsuit by the Heritage Foundation, a right wing think tank, which was seeking to prove that Harry lied about his drug use on his visa papers

Had he mentioned that on his immigration forms when he moved to the US in 2020, the prince could have been denied entry or faced further questioning.

The released documents include a declaration from Jarrod Panter, chief FOIA officer at DHS, who said that the agency determined it was not possible to release ‘any portion’ of Harry’s records as anyone with a familiarity with immigration law could easily determine Harry’s status.

The Duke, 40, has not publicly revealed his status in the US after immigrating in 2020 with his wife Meghan Markle, 43, with whom he has two children.

Panter wrote that US immigration ‘routinely protects from disclosure the nonimmigrant/immigrant status sought by third parties who do not have permission from the beneficiary to receive this information’.

He said: ‘To release such information would potentially expose the individual to harm from members of the public who might have a reason to manipulate or harass individuals depending on their status in the United States’.

Making such information public could subject Harry to ‘reasonably foreseeable harm in the form of harassment as well as unwanted contact by the media and others’.

Panter rejected the idea that Harry had been given ‘preferential treatment’.

He wrote: ‘This speculation by (Heritage) does not point to any evidence of government misconduct.

Despite Judge Carl Nichols vowing to release as much material as possible, Harry’s actual immigration file has remained private 

The six documents that were released contain heavy redactions to protect Harrys’ privacy and stop him being subjected to ‘harassment’

‘The records, as explained above, do not support such an allegation but show the regulatory process involved in reviewing and granting immigration benefits which was done in compliance with the Immigration and Nationality Act and applicable rules and regulation’.

Panter’s declaration contains a seven page long list of documents that were identified in the case – but all of them are redacted.

Four of the other documents are declarations from records officers at DHS and they have heavy redactions too.

The sixth document is a partial transcript of an in camera hearing from April 30th 2024 in which both sides discuss the case.

There is a fleeting reference to the musician Sting and one person – it is not clear who – says: ‘…In whether Prince Harry or Sting or anyone else you can think of who is prominent has a particular visa status’.

The files were released after a u-turn by Judge Carl Nichols, who sits in Washington and is overseeing the case.

In September, Judge Nichols had refused the request from Heritage to release all the documents because the Duke had a right to privacy.

But after a hearing he reconsidered and said he wanted to reveal the ‘maximum amount’ that he could.

In September, Judge Nichols had refused the request from Heritage to release all the documents because the Duke had a right to privacy 

The released documents include a declaration from Jarrod Panter, chief FOIA officer at DHS, who said that the agency determined it was not possible to release ‘any portion’ of Harry’s records as anyone with a familiarity with immigration law could easily determine Harry’s status

DHS has previously argued that the records at issue are ‘particularly sensitive’ because they would ‘reveal Harry’s (immigration) status in the United States’.

Releasing them would amount to a ‘fishing expedition’, DHS argued.

The case has led to speculation that Donald Trump might kick Harry out of the country as the President said last year he ‘wouldn’t protect him’.

But last month Trump changed his tune and said he wouldn’t deport Harry – because his wife is ‘terrible’.

Speaking to the New York Post, the President said he was giving Harry a break because ‘he’s got enough problems with his wife’.

Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation – the Washington think tank which is behind the legal fight to get Harry’s visa documents made public – spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com following the document release on Tuesday.

‘These documents do not in any way alter the big picture which is that Harry’s visa application needs to be released to the American public in full,’ he said. 

‘The American public deserves to know how he entered the country and if he did so legally.

‘The documents are so heavily redacted by the Biden-era Department of Homeland Security they offer no answers at all.

‘I believe these documents will only reinforce calls for the release of the full Harry visa file.

‘The American public deserves to see Harry’s records if there is nothing to hide.

‘These documents were written under Joe Biden’s administration and offer a complete lack of transparency and accountability.

‘President Trump’s administration has consistently promised transparency and accountability, especially on the subject of immigration.

‘There is a very strong possibility, in my view, that the Trump administration will release Harry’s visa file in a full, unredacted and complete way.’

Harry’s representatives have declined to comment on the case.