Norway’s crown princess says she was “manipulated and deceived” by Jeffrey Epstein

Norway’s crown princess mentioned she felt unsafe throughout a 2013 encounter with the late intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein at his Palm Seaside, Florida, mansion and that he manipulated and deceived her.

Mette-Marit, who’s married to Crown Prince Haakon, sat down with Norwegian broadcaster NRK for a 20-minute interview on Thursday. It did not comprise explosive revelations however marked the primary time the royal couple sat down with reporters to deal with the fallout over the crown princess’ ties to Epstein. Their relationship raised questions over her judgment, although she just isn’t accused of any wrongdoing.

The interview additionally occurred on the identical day the prison trial towards Mette-Marit’s son, Marious Borg Høiby, concluded. Prosecutors have sought a jail sentence of seven years and 7 months for the fees towards Høiby, who denies the rape allegations. He’s Mette-Marit’s son from a earlier relationship. A verdict is predicted in early June.

Mette-Marit has beforehand apologized for the state of affairs she put the royal household in. She first met Epstein in 2011 and their contact continued into 2014. The Epstein recordsdata contained a number of hundred mentions of the crown princess, who mentioned in 2019 she regretted having had contact with him.

Epstein killed himself in 2019 whereas awaiting trial on costs that he sexually abused underage women at his properties within the U.S. Mette-Marit instructed NRK she did not know he was a intercourse offender and abuser; she solely noticed him work together with adults and by no means witnessed something unlawful.

She additionally instructed NRK she feels a way of guilt for Epstein’s victims and has spent years processing their relationship and the allegations towards him. She mentioned she takes accountability for not researching his background completely.

“After all, I want I had by no means met him,” she instructed NRK. “This can be very necessary for me to acknowledge that I didn’t look into his previous extra rigorously, and likewise to acknowledge that I used to be manipulated and deceived to such an extent.”

The Epstein recordsdata embrace e-mail exchanges between the 2, and present a relationship that some perceived as a detailed friendship. In a single message, Mette-Marit wrote to Epstein, “You tickle my mind.”

In October 2012, Epstein wrote that he was in Paris “on my spouse hunt.” Mette-Marit replied that Paris was “good for adultery,” however “Scandis” had been “higher spouse materials.”

In one other set of messages, the emails confirmed that Mette-Marit borrowed an Epstein-owned property in Palm Seaside, Florida, for a number of days in 2013. Mette-Marit mentioned the keep was organized by way of a mutual pal, and it was this go to that resulted within the encounter that left her feeling so unsafe she referred to as Haakon at dwelling.

She declined to elaborate in the course of the NRK interview, however mentioned she continued her contact with Epstein as a result of she was gullible and had been manipulated.

“I am not the one to really feel sorry for,” the 52-year-old princess mentioned. “It is all of the victims who’ve been subjected to those severe abuses who deserve justice.”

Thursday’s interview was time-limited on account of Mette-Marit’s well being; she has pulmonary fibrosis, which causes severe respiration issues.