Six weeks of silence. A son’s rape trial wrapping up. Over a thousand mentions in newly released Epstein documents. On Friday morning, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway finally chose to speak — telling public broadcaster NRK she was “manipulated and deceived” by the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The setting was carefully controlled: a 20-minute sit-down at Skaugum, the couple’s official residence, with Crown Prince Haakon at her side. The heir to the throne said little, but his presence spoke volumes. This was the palace presenting a united front.

What She Said

Mette-Marit described the relationship as purely platonic. “It was a friendly relationship: above all, he was a friend to me,” she told NRK. Asked directly whether there was anything more: “If your question is whether the relationship had another nature, the answer is no.”

She stated she had “never seen anything illegal.” She acknowledged showing “poor judgment” and said she must “take responsibility for not having investigated Epstein’s background more thoroughly.” In her most candid moment, she admitted: “Some of the content of the messages between Epstein and me does not represent the person I want to be.”

She also issued a broader apology: “It is important for me to apologize to all of you whom I have disappointed.”

What the Files Actually Show

The documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice in early February tell a more complicated story. Mette-Marit appears more than a thousand times across approximately three million pages of Epstein-related records. The communications span from 2011 to 2014 — all of it after Epstein’s 2008 guilty plea to soliciting an underage girl for prostitution in Florida.

In one 2011 email, the crown princess told Epstein she had Googled him and that it “didn’t look too good” — accompanied by a smiley face. She continued the friendship regardless. By 2013, she had stayed four days at his Palm Beach estate. Epstein’s calendar included a January 2013 entry reading “Princess Mette to the Island” — a reference to his private Caribbean island. The palace denies she ever visited it.

Other disclosed emails show her writing “I miss my crazy friend” to Epstein. In one exchange reported by Al Jazeera, after Epstein said he was in Paris “on my wife hunt” but “prefer Scandinavians,” she replied that Paris was “good for adultery” but “Scandis” were “better wife material.” These are not the communications of someone who had been deceived about the nature of a distant acquaintance.

The Timing Is Not a Coincidence

The interview arrived one day after the conclusion of the rape trial of Mette-Marit’s 29-year-old son, Marius Borg Høiby, from a prior relationship. Prosecutors sought a seven-year prison sentence on charges including rape. Høiby denies the allegations; a verdict is expected in June.

For six weeks after the February document release, Mette-Marit said nothing publicly about the Epstein revelations, even as Norway’s prime minister issued a public rebuke. Support for the monarchy fell from 70 to 60 percent in a Norstat poll published by NRK, while backing for a republic surged from 19 to 27 percent.

Friday — with the courtroom finally dark — was the first politically viable window.

What She Did Not Say

Conspicuously absent was any explanation of why she maintained contact for three years after discovering enough about Epstein to note that his record “didn’t look too good” — or why it did not end the friendship sooner.

She did not address the island invitation in Epstein’s calendar. She did not explain what role, if any, she played in connecting Epstein to other Norwegian figures. The files also implicate former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland, now under criminal investigation for suspected gross corruption, and former Foreign Minister Børge Brende, who has acknowledged limited contact.

Haakon, for his part, confirmed he was aware of the relationship. He did not address the emails.

The palace may consider Friday’s interview the final word. The three million pages of documents suggest otherwise.

Sources