Norway's crown princess says she was 'manipulated and deceived' by Epstein [View all]

Source: NBC News/Reuters

March 20, 2026, 6:49 AM EDT / Updated March 20, 2026, 7:43 AM EDT / Source: Reuters


Norway‘s Crown Princess Mette-Marit said on Friday she regretted her friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, seeking to contain one of the biggest scandals to hit the country’s royal family. The U.S. Justice Department’s release of millions of Epstein documents has sent shockwaves around the world, revealing the disgraced financier’s ties to prominent people, including the crown princess and top Norwegian politicians, business executives and diplomats.

“I was manipulated and deceived,” Mette-Marit said in a tearful interview with public broadcaster NRK screened on Friday morning.“Of course, I wish I had never met him,” she said of Epstein.

The files showed frequent communication between Mette-Marit and Epstein that occurred long after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting an underage girl. The 52-year-old crown princess, who apologized to King Harald and Queen Sonja in a February 6 statement, has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing.

While earlier media coverage had shown that Mette-Marit had links to Epstein, the new documents showed a more extensive relationship, prompting an unusual rebuke from the prime minister and demands that she give a full account.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/world/europe/norways-crown-princess-says-was-manipulated-deceived-epstein-rcna264409