Norwegian Crown Princess Breaks Silence on Epstein Relationship
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has publicly stated for the first time that she was "manipulated and deceived" by the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, following the release of thousands of pages of documents by the U.S. Justice Department in January. The files, which have sent shockwaves through Norwegian society, reveal that the crown princess is mentioned nearly 1,000 times in personal email exchanges between 2011 and 2014, raising serious questions about her connections to the disgraced financier.
Email Exchanges and Public Backlash
In one particularly controversial email from 2011, Mette-Marit asked Epstein whether it was "inappropriate for a mother to suggest two naked women carrying a surfboard for my 15-year-old son’s wallpaper?" This correspondence, along with others, has fueled intense scrutiny and led to mounting pressure from political figures, including Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. In response, the Norwegian parliament voted unanimously on Tuesday to establish an independent investigative commission to examine links between the country’s foreign office and Epstein.
The crown princess, who has previously issued a statement expressing "deep regret" and admitting to "poor judgment," broke her silence in a 20-minute interview with Norwegian broadcaster NRK. Filmed at her home, Skaugum, near Oslo, she appeared alongside her husband, Crown Prince Haakon, and addressed the allegations head-on.
Claims of Ignorance and Health Struggles
Mette-Marit insisted that she "did not know he was a sex offender or an abuser" despite evidence showing she Googled him in 2011, three years after Epstein was sentenced to 18 months in prison for soliciting sex from minors. When questioned about an email where she wrote, "Googled you after the previous email. Agreed, it didn’t look good :)," she claimed she could not recall the context, stating, "I wish I had the rest of that email correspondence." She emphasized that if she had known about his crimes, she would not have included a smiley face.
The interview was conducted on the final day of the trial of her son, Marius Borg Høiby, who faces 39 charges, including four rapes, which he denies. Mette-Marit also revealed her ongoing health battle with pulmonary fibrosis, a condition that may require a lung transplant, adding to the personal toll of the scandal. "I am the mother of a young man who has been in a very demanding situation," she said. "In addition, I have health that requires a lot of rest."
Details of the Relationship and Aftermath
Mette-Marit described Epstein as "a close friend of a good friend of mine" and said she was introduced to him in 2011 through mutual acquaintances while serving as a special envoy for the UN Aids Programme. She maintained that their relationship was purely friendly and denied any intimacy. However, the files also show she stayed at Epstein’s Palm Beach home in Florida for several days in January 2013, a visit she now deeply regrets. "It is one of the things I have spent the most time processing after the serious abuses became known in 2019," she said, visibly emotional.
Expressing guilt over Epstein’s victims, she added, "I feel great anger that they have not received justice. At the same time, it’s important for me to say if I’ve done something that has contributed to giving him legitimacy in some way." The scandal continues to unfold as Norway grapples with the implications for its royal family and political elite.
