Crown Princess Mette-Marit has addressed her "embarrassing" friendship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019.
On Friday, further documents from the Epstein Files were unsealed, some of which documented the 52-year-old's friendship with the criminal. Messages were released which showed the pair discussing her family life, her meeting him at his Florida home, and Jeffrey's attempts at "wife hunting".
Speaking to Norwegian broadcaster NRK, Mette-Marit has disavowed her friendship with him, and spoke of her "regret" for not looking into his background and not "understanding" who he was.
"Jeffrey Epstein is responsible for his actions. I must take responsibility for not checking Epstein's background better and for not understanding quickly enough what kind of person he was," she said in a statement given to the broadcaster.
Mette-Marit continued: "I deeply regret that, and this is a responsibility I must take. I showed poor judgment and regret ever having any contact with Epstein. It is simply embarrassing."
The royal had first been linked with the disgraced financier back in 2019, following his death in a prison cell. In a statement issued at the time, she said: "I would never have had anything to do with Epstein if I had been aware of the seriousness of his criminal acts. I should have investigated Epstein's past and regret that I did not."
Difficult time
It's not an easy time for the Norwegian royal, with her son, Marius Borg Høiby, set to go on trial on 3 February. The charges against Marius include assault and four counts of rape. If he is found guilty of the most serious charges, he could face up to ten years in prison.
The charges also include abuse in close relationships, assaulting a public official, making death threats and acts of violence, alongside motoring offences.
© Julian Parker - GettyJust days before the trial, further charges were brought against him, including charges of drugs trafficking. Marius is believed to be planning to plead guilty to some of the minor charges, but denies the more serious ones.
Mette-Marit welcomed Marius before she met Crown Prince Haakon, and as such, he is not considered to be a part of Norway's royal house.
© Getty ImagesThe latest Epstein Files release also comes as Mette-Marit prepares for the possibility of a lung transplant. The royal was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, and in December 2025, it was announced that her condition had worsened and physicians would look into a possible transplant.
A statement at the time read: "During the autumn, a number of tests have been carried out that show a clear worsening of the Crown Princess' health. The physicians at Rikshospitalet University Hospital have therefore started the process towards an evaluation for potential lung transplant surgery."
