Emails sent by Crown Princess Mette Marit of Norway are among the 3 million files to have been released by the US Department of Justice relating to the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
A newly leaked file that dates back to October 2012 reveals an email exchange between the wife of Crown Prince Haakon and the disgraced paedophile financier, in which Epstein asks Mette-Marit: "Weather was too bad, I returned to NY..how was your wedding."
© Getty ImagesCrown Princess Mette-Marit's wedding critique
In an email dated 21 October 2012, the Norwegian royal, 52, penned in response: "Boring wedding. Was like some kind of old movie. Where you know the characters are not hanging around for much long[er]."
© Getty ImagesThe email, sent from a redacted email address under the name "HKH Kronprinsessen, was dated just days after the wedding of Grand Duke Guillaume and Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg, who tied the knot in a two-day celebration on 19 and 20 October 2012. Both Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit were in attendance, as were King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, as well as King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden.
© GettyCrown Princess Mette-Marit's statement
The Crown Princess' name featured in several of the Epstein files in regard to email exchanges with the sex offender, who died at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City in 2019. On Friday, the royal issued a statement addressing their interactions, which included discussion of her family life, her meeting him at his Florida home, and Jeffrey's attempts at "wife hunting".
Speaking to Norwegian broadcaster NRK, Mette-Marit disavowed her friendship with Epstein, 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.
© Getty ImagesMette-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."
