"I was manipulated and deceived": how the Crown Princess of Norway justified her connection to Epstein 0 12

Crown Princess of Norway Mette-Marit stated that she regrets her friendship with the late Jeffrey Epstein.

The U.S. Department of Justice released millions of Epstein's documents, exposing the disgraced financier's connections with prominent figures (including the crown princess, as well as leading Norwegian businessmen and politicians), which caused a worldwide stir.

"I was manipulated and deceived," Mette-Marit said in an interview with the state broadcaster NRK.

"Of course, I wish we had never met," she said about Epstein.

The documents indicate frequent contacts between Mette-Marit and Epstein that continued long after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting an underage girl for sex. The 52-year-old crown princess is not accused of any crime; in her statement, she apologized to King Harald and Queen Sonja.

Earlier, the media had reported on Mette-Marit’s connections with Epstein, but new documents showed that these relationships were much closer.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stated that it is important for Mette-Marit to provide full information about her relationship with Epstein.

"She regretted her contacts with him... She took responsibility for not having checked his past more thoroughly," the prime minister said.

According to American documents, the princess, wife of Crown Prince Haakon, heir to the throne, maintained connections with Epstein from 2011 to 2014, and during a personal trip in 2013, she stayed at his house in Palm Beach for four days.

"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. However, [later] I decided to cut off communication with him," Mette-Marit said.

"I have never witnessed anything illegal," she told NRK.

The Epstein documents seemed to contradict her statement from 2019, in which she apologized for not checking his past and noted that she would never have associated with him had she known the seriousness of his crimes.

In one of the released letters from October 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty, Mette-Marit wrote to him that she had Googled him and agreed that "it doesn’t look very good," adding a smiley face.

When asked by NRK about this letter, Mette-Marit replied that she does not remember why she wrote it.

"But if I had found information that made me understand that he was a rapist and a sex offender, I would not have put a smiley there," she said.

Mette-Marit’s husband stated that he supported his wife during this difficult time and that marriage is "both good days and bad days."

"Mette is caring, wise, and truly strong. And that’s why I will always keep her on my team when something difficult happens," said the crown prince.

These days, Haakon and other members of the royal family are following a busy schedule—specifically attending the Winter Olympics in Italy and participating in events in Norway, while the crown princess has not appeared in public for several weeks.

Mette-Marit suffers from a chronic lung disease, while she is also having to endure a trial involving her eldest son from a previous marriage, who is accused of rape and other crimes.

Her son, 29-year-old Marius Borg Høiby, has stated that he is not guilty of rape and domestic violence, although he has admitted to some lesser charges in court.

The popularity of the Norwegian royal family has taken a hit.

According to a Norstat poll published on February 21 by the public broadcaster NRK, about 60% of Norwegians support the monarchy, which is 10% less than in January, while 27% supported a republic, which is 8% more than during the same period.