Norway

Norway’s crown princess said she felt unsafe during a 2013 encounter with the late sex offender. Jeffrey Epstein at his mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, and that he manipulated and deceived her.

Mette-Marit, who is married to Crown Prince Haakon, sat down with Norwegian broadcaster NRK for a 20-minute interview on Thursday. It contained no explosive revelations, but marked the first time the royal couple sat down with reporters to address the fallout over the crown princess’s ties to Epstein. Their relationship raised questions about her trial, although she is not accused of any crime.

The interview also took place on the same day that the criminal proceedings against Mette-Marit’s son, Marious Borg Høiby, concluded. Prosecutors have asked for a prison sentence of seven years and seven months on the charges against Høiby, who denies rape accusations. He is Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship. A verdict is expected in early June.

Mette-Marit previously apologized for the situation she put the royal family in. She first met Epstein in 2011 and their contact continued until 2014. Epstein’s files contained several hundred mentions of the crown princess, who said in 2019 that she regretted having had contact with him.

Epstein committed suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sexually abusing underage girls at his homes in the U.S. Mette-Marit told NRK that she did not know he was a criminal and sexual abuser; she only saw him interact with adults and never witnessed anything illegal.

He also told NRK that he feels guilty for Epstein’s victims and has spent years processing their relationship and the allegations against him. He said he takes responsibility for not thoroughly investigating his background.

“Of course, I wish I had never met him,” he told NRK. “It is extremely important for me to acknowledge that I did not look more closely into his past and also to acknowledge that I was manipulated and deceived to such an extent.”

Epstein’s files include email exchanges between the two and show a relationship that some perceived as a close friendship. In one message, Mette-Marit wrote to Epstein: “You tickle my brain.”

In October 2012, Epstein wrote that he was in Paris “looking for my wife.” Mette-Marit responded that Paris was “good for adultery” but that “Norsemen” were “better material for wives.”

In another series of messages, emails showed that Mette-Marit borrowed Epstein’s property in Palm Beach, Florida, for several days in 2013. Mette-Marit said the stay was arranged through a mutual friend, and it was this visit that resulted in the encounter that left her so unsure that she called Haakon at her home.

She declined to elaborate during the interview with NRK, but said she continued her contact with Epstein because she was gullible and had been manipulated.

“I’m not the one to feel sorry for,” the 52-year-old princess said. “It is all the victims who have been subjected to these serious abuses who deserve justice.”

Thursday’s interview was limited in time due to Mette-Marit’s health; she has pulmonary fibrosiswhich causes serious respiratory problems.