Crown Princess of Norway responds to Epstein allegations

A special television interview explaining Crown Princess Mette-Marit's (Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway) relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (Jeffrey Epstein) is scheduled to be broadcast on the country's NRK channel on Friday. The interview was recorded on Thursday at their official residence, Skaugum, with Crown Prince Haakon, as the rape case against her son, Marius Borg Høiby, at the Oslo District Court reached its final stage.

The seven-week trial of her 29-year-old son drew significant attention from Norwegians. Although he is not an official member of the royal family, he grew up with the royal family after his mother married Prince Haakon in 2001. He faces 40 charges, including rape, serious assault and abuse, as well as drug and traffic offenses. The first reported rape accusation in 2018 occurred at the official Skaugum estate of the Crown Prince and Princess, which critics point out as the biggest scandal faced by the Norwegian royal family.

However, defense lawyers Ellen Holager Andenæs and Peter Sekulic, representing Høiby who denies the serious charges against him, informed the court on Thursday that he should be acquitted of the rape charges. They argued that an 18-month prison sentence would be sufficient for the offenses he admitted, such as transporting 3.5 kilograms of cannabis, violating restraining orders, and reckless driving. However, the prosecution requested the judges to sentence him to seven years and seven months in prison. The verdict in this case is expected to be announced next June.

Before the trial began, the public release of hundreds of emails exchanged between the Princess and Epstein between 2011 and 2014 caused significant embarrassment to the royal family. It revealed that the Princess was aware of Epstein's dark past, having served time in prison in 2008, and that she had spent four days at his home in Palm Beach, Florida, in his absence. Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who had previously expressed regret over this matter, offered a deep apology to the people of Norway and to King Harald and Queen Sonja, both in their eighties, a few days after her son's trial commenced. Even Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre publicly stated that the Princess's actions showed poor judgment.

Currently, the Princess's health is also deteriorating, and she suffers from a lung-related disease called 'pulmonary fibrosis'. Due to this, the Royal House has announced that she will not participate in the state visit of the King and Queen of Belgium next week. Furthermore, due to these accusations against the Princess, two organizations she patronized have already severed ties with her.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit is not the only prominent Norwegian figure accused through the Epstein files. The country's former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland has also faced serious corruption charges, which he has denied. Meanwhile, the Norwegian Parliament this week approved the appointment of an independent commission of inquiry into the relationship between the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Epstein.