Oslo, Norway. Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit said she regretted her friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after newly released U.S. documents detailed their contact and sparked scrutiny of the royal family.
Statement to NRK
“I was manipulated and deceived,” Mette-Marit said in an interview with public broadcaster NRK on Friday. “Of course, I wish I had never met him,” she said of Epstein.
Documents and extent of contact
The U.S. Justice Department’s release of millions of Epstein documents has sent shockwaves around the world, revealing the disgraced financier’s ties to prominent people, including the crown princess and top Norwegian politicians, business executives and diplomats.
The files showed frequent communication between Mette-Marit and Epstein that occurred long after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting an underage girl.
Royal response and political reaction
The 52-year-old crown princess, who apologised to King Harald and Queen Sonja in a February 6 statement, has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing.
While earlier media coverage had shown that Mette-Marit had links to Epstein, the new documents showed a more extensive relationship, triggering an unusual rebuke by the prime minister and leading to demands that she should give a full account.
Travel details and denial of illegal activity
The princess, the spouse of Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the throne, maintained contact with Epstein from 2011 to 2014, and stayed at his Palm Beach house for four days during a private trip in 2013, the U.S. files show.
“I’ve never seen anything illegal,” Mette-Marit told NRK on Friday.
Monarchy support in recent polling
The royal family’s popularity has taken a hit in recent months, a February survey of 1,009 respondents showed.
Some 60% of Norwegians supported the monarchy, down from 70% in January, according to the Norstat poll published on February 21 by public broadcaster NRK, while 27% supported a republic, up from 19% over the same period.
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