Former US president and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump attends a rally in Conway, South Carolina
Former US president and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump, seen here at a rally in Conway, South Carolina, said he "wouldn't protect" Prince Harry if reelected this year. AFP News

Former United States President Donald Trump said he "wouldn't protect" Prince Harry if he wins a second term this year because the royal has betrayed the late Queen Elizabeth II.

In an interview at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington D.C. on Saturday, Feb. 24, the 77-year-old politician said he would not be too lenient on the Duke of Sussex.

He said as quoted by The Independent: "I wouldn't protect him. He betrayed the Queen. That's unforgivable."

Trump added that he is furious at current U.S. President Joe Biden's administration for "protecting Harry." He said that if it was up to him, Prince Harry "would be on his own". He also thinks that the British Royal Family have been "too gracious" to the duke after "what he has done".

Trump's remarks come amid an ongoing lawsuit filed by conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation against the Department of Homeland Security over the duke's immigration status. The organisation questioned the 39-year-old's visa application and argued that he could not have entered the country legally, because he had confessed to taking illegal drugs in his memoir, "Spare".

In his book, Prince Harry revealed that he took marijuana, cocaine and magic mushrooms during his wild partying years. The Heritage Foundation argued that an admission of drug use "generally renders such a person inadmissible for entry" to the country.

The foundation is requesting to have the royal's immigration status be made public to determine if he lied in his application. However, John Bardo, a DHS lawyer, argued that doing so would be "an unwarranted invasion of Prince Harry's privacy".

The Heritage Foundation rebutted that the duke himself has invaded his own privacy when he shared intimate personal information in his memoir. Aside from the drug use, the royal also shared how he lost his virginity, talked about his frostbitten manhood, and shared some serious allegations against members of the royal family, including King Charles III, Prince William and Queen Camilla.

The Duke of Sussex moved to California with his wife Meghan Markle in 2020 after they quit their royal roles in the U.K. They now live with their two children, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two, in Montecito, Santa Barbara.

Earlier this month, Prince Harry shared that he debated whether to become an American citizen. He said during an interview with "Good Morning America" in Canada that he had "considered" obtaining American citizenship but has "no idea" what is holding him back. He admitted: "The thought has crossed my mind but is not a high priority right now."