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Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit has acknowledged a past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, stating she was "manipulated and deceived" and expressing regret toward his victims in exclusive comments to public broadcaster NRK.
The disclosure follows the release of over 3 million pages of documents by the U.S. Justice Department under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law last November, which confirmed contact between several high-ranking Norwegian officials and Epstein, including the crown princess and former Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland.
In the NRK interview, Mette-Marit said she wished she had never met Epstein and accepted responsibility for failing to investigate his background more thoroughly.
"It is incredibly important for me to take responsibility for not checking his background more carefully. And to take responsibility for being so manipulated and deceived as I was," she told the broadcaster.
She stated she first became aware of what she described as "serious abuses" in 2019, the year Epstein was found dead in a New York City jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. She described processing these revelations as "very difficult."
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said Mette-Marit's comments appeared sincere. "It is clear that she is sincerely apologizing. She is taking responsibility for not examining his background more carefully," Store said.
The scandal has raised questions about Mette-Marit's future role in the monarchy. Recent polls show a majority of Norwegians oppose her becoming queen.
Mette-Marit explained she was introduced to Epstein through a close friend and mutual acquaintances whose judgment she trusted. She described their relationship as friendly and stated she only encountered adults during their meetings.
Documents showed she stayed at Epstein's Palm Beach, Florida, home in January 2013, nearly five years after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to procuring a minor for prostitution.
In a 2011 email, she acknowledged searching for Epstein online and noting it "didn't look too good," though she did not recall the details.
She also described an incident during her Palm Beach stay in which Epstein put her "in a situation that made me so insecure" that she called Crown Prince Haakon's home. NRK reported the encounter did not constitute an assault. She said this episode contributed to her decision to end contact with Epstein.
The interview comes as Mette-Marit's son, Marius Borg Hoiby, faces unrelated and serious criminal charges in a Norwegian court.
Prosecutors have requested a prison sentence of seven years and seven months for Hoiby on 39 counts, including four allegations of rape and accusations of mistreating a former partner. Hoiby has denied all rape and abuse allegations.
The most serious allegation, an alleged rape at Skaugum in 2018, forms the basis for the prosecution's sentencing request, assessed at approximately three years. Additional counts include an alleged incident in Lofoten in 2023 and two separate cases in Oslo in 2024.
Prosecutors also cited an estimated one thousand alleged violations of a restraining order. State attorney Sturla Henriksbo emphasized that rape can have long-lasting consequences for victims, including cases where the victim is unable to resist.
Police attorney Andreas Kruszewski argued Hoiby should not receive a reduced sentence due to media attention.
"The fact that you commit criminal acts after the media spotlight has been directed at you as a well-known person contributes to the fact that you should not receive a reduction in sentence," Kruszewski told the court.
The trial concluded Thursday, with a verdict expected in June.
Epstein, a U.S. financier, was charged with sex trafficking of dozens of girls and creating a prostitution network involving minors. He died on Aug. 10, 2019, in his cell at the Manhattan Metropolitan Correctional Center while awaiting trial.
A subsequent FBI and Justice Department review concluded he died by suicide.
The Epstein case files, released in January 2025, named numerous prominent figures with connections to Epstein, including former U.S. presidents, foreign leaders, and entertainers.
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