"I would like to express my deepest regret for my friendship with Jeffrey Epstein," Crown Princess Mette-Marit began
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NEED TO KNOW
- Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has apologized for her “friendship” with Jeffrey Epstein
- Email correspondence between the Crown Princess, 52, and Epstein were released by the U.S. Department of Justice in its latest batch of Epstein files on Jan. 30
- Crown Prince Haakon also spoke out on Friday in support of his wife
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway is officially apologizing for her friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
On Feb. 6, the Royal House of Norway released a new statement from the Crown Princess, 52. The update came one week after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published over three million additional pages related to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, including what appeared to be emails between Mette-Marit and Epstein that indicated a friendship.
"I would like to express my deepest regret for my friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. It is important for me to apologize to all of you that I have disappointed," began the statement from Crown Princess Mette-Marit, translated into English.
"Some of the content of the messages between Epstein and me does not represent the person I want to be. I also apologize for the situation that I have put the Royal Family in, especially the King and Queen," she continued, referring to her in-laws, King Harald and Queen Sonja.
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Mette-Marit's apology was shared within a longer statement from the Royal House of Norway, which underscored her regret about her association with Epstein. The disgraced American financier was a convicted sex offender who died in prison while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in August 2019.
According to an English translation, the statement from the palace began, "We understand the strong reactions people have to what has emerged in recent days. The Crown Princess strongly disavows Epstein's abuse and criminal acts. She is very sorry for not having understood early enough what kind of person he was."
"The Crown Princess wants to tell about what happened and explain herself in more detail. She cannot do that now. The Crown Princess is in a very demanding situation," it continued. "She hopes for understanding that she needs time to gather herself."
The difficult predicament that the palace referenced could have been an allusion to the ongoing court case involving her son, Marius Borg Høiby. Marius, 29, is Crown Princess Mette-Marit's son from a relationship prior to her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, and he headed to trial this week on Feb. 3 on 38 charges, including four counts of rape.
On Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape and one count of domestic violence, and pleaded guilty to offensive sexual behavior, speeding and driving without a valid license, Reuters said.
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In December 2025, the palace also announced that the princess was being assessed for a lung transplant amid a "clear worsening" of her health. Mette-Marit has chronic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease that occurs when lung tissue becomes scarred, and lung transplants are an option for treatment.
The palace's Feb. 6 statement also outlined Crown Princess Mette-Marit's Jan. 31 mea culpa about regretting her contact with Epstein and detailed that she met Epstein in "social contexts, most of them in the United States." It also included Mette-Marit's December 2019 statement disavowing her links to Epstein, a remark she released after then-Prince Andrew announced his step back from his royal role following a damaging BBC interview about his ties to Epstein.
On Friday, Crown Prince Haakon, 52, spoke out to the press about the scandals affecting his family and his ongoing support for his wife. The future king of Norway "asked a large press corps to gather" before he spoke, opening up amid an official visit to Oslo Sami kindergarten, NRK reported.
"When there is a lot happening at once, as it has been for our family now, I am a little concerned that we must have the priorities in the right order," the outlet reported that Crown Prince Haakon said, per an English translation.
"For me, the most important thing in recent days has been to take care of the flock. We support Marius in the situation he is in, we look after the other children – they must also be looked after – and I have to look after and take care of the Crown Princess," he continued. "Fortunately, she takes care of me too."
Haakon acknowledged the attention around Mette-Marit and stressed that she wanted to respond.
Fredrik Varfjell/NTB via AP
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"The Crown Princess understands that there are many who want to hear from her. She would like to tell. But now she can't. And I also tell her that she is not allowed to," he said. "She would like to tell more about the case, and we hope there is understanding that she needs some time."
The prince's mention of children referenced Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 21, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 20, his daughter and son whom he shares with his wife.
At this time, Crown Prince Haakon is acting as regent while his father, King Harald, 88, is in Italy for the Winter Olympics.
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