Mette-Marit, Norway’s crown princess, has revealed her friendship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mette-Marit, who is married to Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the throne, spoke to Norwegian broadcaster NRK on Thursday about her ties to Epstein, a controversy that has dogged the Norwegian royal family since it was first revealed in 2019.
“I was manipulated and deceived,” Mette-Marit said in a tearful interview.
“Of course I wish I’d never met him,” she said of Epstein.
Links between Mette-Marit and Jeffrey Epstein
Documents released by the US Department of Justice earlier this year showed that Mette-Marit maintained contact with Epstein from 2011 to 2014 and stayed at his Palm Beach home for four days during a private trip in 2013.
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“He took advantage of the fact that we had a mutual friend and that I am trusting. I like to believe the best in people. But I also decided to end contact with him,” said Mette-Marit.
“I never saw anything illegal,” she told NRK.
Mette-Marit Haakon’s husband, who was sitting next to her, said that he supports his wife in difficult times and that marriage is for “good days and bad”.
“Mette is caring, wise and really strong. That’s why I will always have her on the team when something difficult happens,” said the crown prince.
An ongoing scandal in Norway
Thursday’s interview contained no explosive revelations, but was the first time the royal couple sat down with reporters to talk about the fallout from the crown princess’ ties to Epstein. Their relationship raised questions about her judgment.
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Epstein’s writings contradicted Mette-Marit’s 2019 statement in which she apologized for not investigating his past and said she would never have had contact with him if she had known the severity of the crimes he had committed.
What the Epstein Papers Show
In one published email from October 2011, three years after Epstein confessed, Mette-Marit wrote to him that she had Googled him and that she agreed “it didn’t look very good,” followed by a smiley face.
When NRK asked her about the email, Mette-Marit said she did not remember why she wrote it.
“But if I found information that made me realize he was a rapist and a sex offender, I wouldn’t put a smiley face behind it,” she said.
Mette-Marit first met the financier in 2011, and their contact continued in 2014. Epstein’s files contained several hundred references to the crown princess.
Email exchanges between the two showed a relationship that some perceived as a close friendship. In one message, Mette-Marit wrote to Epstein: “you’re tickling my brain.”
In October 2012, Epstein wrote that he was in Paris “hunting for my wife”. Mette-Marit replied that Paris was “good for adultery” but the “Scandis” were “better material for wives”.
In another set of reports, emails showed that Mette-Marit rented a property owned by Epstein in Palm Beach, Florida, for several days in 2013.
About Epstein’s victims
On Thursday, Mette-Marit told NRK that she feels guilty for Epstein’s victims and has spent years processing their relationship and the allegations against him. She said she was responsible for not thoroughly investigating his background.
The 52-year-old crown princess, who apologized to King Harald and Queen Sonja in a statement on February 6, has not been charged with any crime.
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On Friday, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said it was important for Mette-Marit to answer questions about her relationship with Epstein.
“She regretted her contact with him and was truly sorry. She took responsibility for not checking his background more thoroughly,” he said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
Key things
- Crown Princess Mette-Marit expresses deep regret over her association with Jeffrey Epstein.
- She admits she didn’t do a thorough investigation of Epstein’s background, which exposes her vulnerability.
- The royal couple emphasize the importance of support during difficult times.
