Hollywood stars haven't yet decided how they feel about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the elections on Wednesday. Some – like Elon Musk – are thrilled while most feel their world has collapsed. Others are likely quite concerned about the fate of their visas, including Prince Harry.
Since Prince Harry and his wife Meghan left the monarchy in 2020 in what was dubbed the “Megxit,” Trump has repeatedly made it clear that, if he were president, the couple wouldn't receive any special privileges – such as security funded by American taxpayers or any expedited visa process for the prince.
Following Harry’s departure from royal duties, Trump said this of the prince's actions: “He betrayed the queen. That’s unforgivable,” and even went as far as to say that “Harry could be deported from the United States” after the prince revealed in his book “Spare” that he had used drugs in his youth.
“I wouldn’t protect him. He betrayed the Queen. That’s unforgivable. He would be on his own if it was up to me,” Trump told the Daily Express.
When asked if he would grant Harry any special privileges upon becoming president — after allegedly lying on his visa application —Trump responded: “No. We’ll have to see if they know something about the drugs, and if he lied they’ll have to take appropriate action.” When pressed on whether this could mean the former royal family member would have to leave the U.S., he replied, “I don’t know.”
Harry’s U.S. visa application faced obstacles due to his wild past, which included significant drug use. Last September, U.S. Judge Carl Nichols ruled that “the public does not have a strong interest in disclosure of the duke's immigration records,” thus keeping the visa process confidential. “Like any foreign national, the duke has a legitimate privacy interest in his immigration status,” he added.
However, since Trump has been elected as the new president of the United States, there’s a high chance that Prince Harry's immigration records might be made public, according to Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom. “There's a strong likelihood that this will happen. It’s within the president’s rights.”
It was also recently reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex purchased a vacation home in Portugal. Insiders say that Harry and Meghan plan to work separately a lot more, raising many questions about the state of their relationship. “They claim that they will work a lot separately. You decide such a thing only if you don't want to be together much.,” royal expert Angela Levin clarified.
Meghan has branded herself as an outspoken opponent of Trump, having publicly criticized him several times in the past. In 2019, when Trump arrived in the UK, he was met with a frosty reception from Harry after calling Meghan “nasty.”
In September 2020, Harry and Meghan urged the public not to vote for Trump. “Every four years we are told the same thing, that this is the most important election of our lifetime,” Markle began, “but this one is. When we vote, our values are put into action and our voices are heard. Your voice is a reminder that you matter, because you do and you deserve to be heard.”
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First published: 20:49, 11.07.24