Crown Princess apologises to King and Queen for friendship with Epstein

Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit has apologised again for her relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The friendship between the pair is one of several scandals to hit Norway’s monarchy of late.

Mette-Marit’s son Marius Borg Høiby is currently on trial facing 38 charges, including rape and domestic violence.

The 29-year-old, the stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, has pleaded not guilty.

Files released by the US Department of Justice last week showed that Mette-Marit had exchanged a number of emails with Epstein, even after after he was convicted in 2008 of charges that included soliciting prostitution from a minor.

She issued an apology on Saturday, saying she “showed poor judgment” by continuing their relationship.

“I deeply regret having had any contact with Epstein. It is simply embarrassing,” she said in a statement issued by the royal palace.

In a new statement on Friday, Mette-Marit apologised again for her friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex crimes against minors.

“I would like to express my deep regret for my friendship with Jeffrey Epstein,” she said.

“I also apologise for the situation that I have put the royal family in, especially the King and Queen.”

Norway's prime minister on Monday said that Mette-Marit, and other prominent Norwegians who were named in the latest Epstein documents published, should provide more details about their involvement with Epstein.

The country’s former prime minister and foreign minister Thorbjoern Jagland is under fresh scrutiny, as are former foreign minister Boerge Brende, now leader of the World Economic Forum; Mona Juul, ambassador to Jordan and Iraq; and her husband Terje Roed-Larsen.

All were known to have had ties to Epstein, but the new files have offered much more detail.

A majority of parties in Norway's parliament appear ready to support an independent inquiry into the foreign ministry, Norwegian media reported.