Oslo, February 2, 2026 — The Europe Today: Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has said he agrees with Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s admission of “poor judgement” following revelations that she had extensive contact with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to newly released files from the United States Department of Justice.
The documents show that the Crown Princess is mentioned hundreds of times in records dating from 2011 to 2014. The disclosures have sparked renewed controversy for Norway’s royal family, coming just days before the start of a seven-week trial in Oslo involving her son, Marius Borg Høiby, who faces 38 charges including rape and assault.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who married Crown Prince Haakon as a commoner, is expected to become queen when her husband ascends the throne. Her son was four years old at the time of the marriage.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Crown Princess acknowledged her mistake, saying: “I showed poor judgement and regret having any contact with Epstein at all. It is simply embarrassing.” She also expressed her “deep sympathy and solidarity with the victims of the abuses committed by Jeffrey Epstein.”
Prime Minister Støre said he agreed with the Crown Princess’s assessment, an implicit criticism that has been described as unusual given the traditional distance between Norway’s political leadership and the royal household. He added that former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland had also shown “poor judgement” after it emerged that Jagland had once planned, but later cancelled, a family holiday on Epstein’s private island.
The newly released Epstein files indicate that Crown Princess Mette-Marit spent four days at Epstein’s residence in Palm Beach, Miami, in January 2013. They also include an email sent from the Crown Princess’s official account in which Epstein was asked whether a mother should suggest an image of naked women carrying a surfboard as wallpaper for her son.
The revelations have intensified scrutiny of past associations with Epstein, whose network of high-profile contacts has continued to draw international attention years after his death.
