What to know about Norway’s royals as crown princess expresses new regret over Epstein ties

Norwegian Crown Princess Issues Second Apology Over Epstein Ties as Royal Family Faces Multiple Crises

Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit has issued a fresh apology for her past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, adding to mounting challenges facing the country’s royal family.

In a statement released Friday, the future queen expressed remorse for the situation she has placed the monarchy in, particularly King Harald and Queen Sonja, after Norwegian media reported hundreds of mentions of her in newly released Epstein files.

“Some of the content of the messages between Epstein and me does not represent the person I want to be,” Mette-Marit said in her statement, referring to an email exchange from October 2012. In that correspondence, Epstein mentioned being in Paris “on my wife hunt,” stating he “preferred Scandinavians,” to which the crown princess replied that Paris was “good for adultery” but “Scandis” were “better wife material.”

This marks her second expression of regret in less than a week. In her initial statement, she acknowledged “not having investigated Epstein’s background more thoroughly” and expressed “deep sympathy and solidarity” with victims of Epstein’s abuse.

The royal family’s troubles have been compounded by another crisis unfolding simultaneously. Marius Borg Høiby, Mette-Marit’s 29-year-old son from a previous relationship, began trial Tuesday on serious charges including rape, abuse in a close relationship, acts of violence, and death threats. Høiby has denied the most serious allegations, though he faces additional charges related to marijuana transportation and traffic violations.

Crown Prince Haakon issued a statement last week indicating that neither he nor Mette-Marit would attend the court proceedings or comment on the case, which is expected to last seven weeks. While emphasizing that Høiby is not officially a member of the Royal House, the statement described him as “an important member of our family.”

These developments come amid health concerns for the 52-year-old crown princess, who was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a serious lung disease, in 2018. The royal court announced last month that her condition had shown a “clear worsening,” with physicians exploring the possibility of lung-transplant surgery.

The Norwegian monarchy, headed by 88-year-old King Harald of the House of Glücksburg, traces its lineage back more than 1,100 years. Like other European monarchs, Harald wields no real political power but serves as an important symbolic figure for the nation. He married Queen Sonja, a commoner, in 1968.

Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit wed in 2001, despite initial public skepticism over her background as a single mother with connections to Norway’s party scene. Her former companion had been convicted on drug charges before she entered royal life. The couple has two children together: Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 21, who is in the line of succession to become monarch, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 19.

The succession of controversies appears to be eroding public support for Norway’s constitutional monarchy. According to recent polling by the Norstat agency for Dagbladet daily and public broadcaster NRK, support has fallen from nearly three-quarters of respondents in August to approximately two-thirds currently. A separate poll for VG showed similar declining trends.

The current crisis represents one of the most challenging periods for Norway’s royal family in recent memory, as they navigate multiple personal scandals while attempting to maintain their traditional role as unifying figures in Norwegian society.