Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit has issued an apology to the royal family and to everyone she says she has “disappointed,” following renewed scrutiny of her past connections with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
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Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway during the gala dinner at the Royal Palace in Oslo on June 23, 2025. |
Her name appears hundreds of times in the newly released Epstein files. Norwegian media reported that she had already expressed regret in 2019 about having any contact with Epstein.
The crown princess has come under intense public attention over the past week, compounding difficulties for the royal family at a time when her son is standing trial in Oslo on multiple charges, including rape.
Documents released as part of the Epstein files include emails and show that Mette-Marit stayed for several days in 2013 at a property in Palm Beach, Florida, owned by Epstein. Broadcaster NRK reported that the visit was arranged through a shared acquaintance, a detail later confirmed by the royal household.
In a statement issued on Friday, the palace said the crown princess wants to address the matter and provide a fuller explanation but is currently unable to do so. It said she is facing a very challenging situation and “hopes for understanding that she needs time to gather her thoughts.”
The palace also released a second statement from Mette-Marit this week, in which she again expressed remorse for her relationship with Epstein.
“It is important for me to apologize to all of you whom I have disappointed,” she said. “Some of the content of the messages between Epstein and me does not represent the person I want to be. I also apologize for the situation I have put the Royal Family in, especially the King and Queen.”
King Harald, 88, and the royal family generally enjoy strong public support in Norway. However, the case involving Mette-Marit’s son, Marius Borg Høiby, has affected the family’s reputation since 2024, and the release of the Epstein files has worsened the situation.
Mette-Marit is married to Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the Norwegian throne.
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| Jørgen Gomnæs / The Royal Court |
Among the released documents is an email Mette-Marit sent to Epstein in November 2012 asking: “Is it inappropriate for a mother to suggest two naked women carrying a surfboard for my 15-year-old son’s wallpaper?”
Epstein replied: “Let them decide,” adding that she should “Stay out of it.”
Shortly after the files became public, the 52-year-old crown princess released another statement saying she “must take responsibility for not having investigated Epstein’s background more thoroughly, and for not realizing sooner what kind of person he was.” She added: “I showed poor judgment and regret having had any contact with Epstein at all. It is simply embarrassing.”
Mette-Marit is not the only prominent Norwegian facing scrutiny as a result of the Epstein documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice. Norway’s Economic Crime Investigation Service announced on Thursday that it is examining whether former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland received gifts, travel, or loans connected to his official roles.
Jagland served as prime minister from 1996 to 1997 and later chaired the Norwegian Nobel Committee and served as secretary general of the Council of Europe. The files show long-standing contact between him and Epstein, including emails indicating plans for Jagland and his family to visit Epstein’s island in 2014, when he was chair of the Nobel committee, with travel arranged by an Epstein assistant.
Authorities are also considering lifting Jagland’s diplomatic immunity. His lawyer told NRK that Jagland is cooperating with investigators.
Separately, the World Economic Forum said on Thursday that it has launched an internal review into its CEO, Børge Brende, after the files suggested he had multiple dinners and message exchanges with Epstein. Brende served as Norway’s foreign minister from 2013 to 2017. He told NRK that he is cooperating with the inquiry, that his interactions with Epstein were limited to professional contexts, and that he was unaware of Epstein’s criminal history.
Epstein died in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges that he sexually abused underage girls at his U.S. properties.