Norway’s Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, has publicly agreed with Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s admission of “poor judgement.” This statement follows revelations that the princess maintained extensive contact with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Documents recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice, related to Epstein’s activities, show the princess listed hundreds of times between 2011 and 2014. This latest controversy casts a shadow over the royal family just as her son embarks on a seven-week trial in Oslo. He faces 38 charges, including rape and assault.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who was a commoner before marrying Crown Prince Haakon, has a son, Marius Borg Høiby, from a previous relationship. She is in line to become queen consort upon her husband’s ascension to the throne.
As details of her email exchanges with Epstein began to surface, the princess issued a statement on Saturday. In it, she confessed: “I showed poor judgement and regret having any contact with Epstein at all. It is simply embarrassing.” She also conveyed “deep sympathy and solidarity with the victims of the abuses committed by Jeffrey Epstein.”
While Prime Minister Støre confined his remarks to agreeing with the princess’s assessment of her own conduct, his implicit criticism of her contact with Epstein is considered noteworthy. Støre also stated that he believed former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland had exercised “poor judgement.” This pertains to Jagland’s plan, which was later cancelled, to take a family holiday on Epstein’s private island.
The latest batch of Epstein files indicates that Crown Princess Mette-Marit stayed at Epstein’s residence in Palm Beach, Miami, for four days in January 2013. One email, sent from the HRH Crown Princess account, inquired whether a mother should suggest nude women carrying surfboards as wallpaper for her son. Commentators in Norway have expressed dismay at the cordial nature of these communications. One message, in particular, suggests she was aware of Epstein’s 2008 jail sentence.
Norway’s royal family has recently faced a series of scandals. Among them was the marriage of Crown Prince Haakon’s sister, Princess Märtha Louise, to an American individual identifying as a shaman.
With the upcoming trial of Marius Borg Høiby, questions are re-emerging regarding his mother’s failure to recognize the detrimental nature of her continued association with Epstein, and the role her advisors may have played. Mette-Marit is currently dealing with pulmonary fibrosis and is being prepared by doctors for a potential lung transplant.
Her 29-year-old son, who is not officially part of the royal family, denies the most serious allegations. One rape charge involves sexual intercourse with a woman while she was asleep. Three other charges allege sexual assault against women who were incapacitated, which in Norway also constitutes rape.
A conviction on these charges could result in a sentence of at least 10 years in prison. No member of the royal family is expected to attend the trial, which is scheduled to commence at Oslo District Court on Tuesday.
However, in an emotional statement to reporters last week, Crown Prince Haakon expressed that “our thoughts are with everyone who is affected by this case…we understand that this is a difficult time for many of you, and we sympathise.” He added that while his stepson is not a royal family member, “We care about him, and he is an important member of our family.”