Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has given a much-anticipated interview on her contacts with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which is due to be broadcast by NRK TV on Friday.
The interview was recorded with Crown Prince Haakon at their residence in Skaugum on Thursday, as her son Marius Borg Høiby's rape trial neared an end at Oslo District Court. His trial began at the start of February, as his mother faced mounting questions over her links to Epstein which came to light in hundreds of emails.
The crown princess has already issued an apology and admitted to showing poor judgement, but had said she needed time before explaining herself in greater detail.
As the scandals buffeting Mette-Marit's family mounted, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said he agreed that she had exercised poor judgement. It was seen as a rare public criticism of a royal figure. Although the crown princess stayed away from the trial, the timing of her interview indicates she and the crown prince were waiting for proceedings to come to an end before going public.
The seven-week trial has been followed very closely by Norwegians, who have seen Høiby grow up alongside the royal family without being a member of it. He was four when his mother married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001. The 29-year-old faces 40 charges ranging from four counts of rape and serious assault and abuse to drugs and traffic violations. He denies the most serious charges and his defence lawyers told the court on Thursday he should be cleared of rape, and that an 18-month jail term was appropriate for the offences he had admitted to.
The first rape charge, dating back to 2018, took place at the crown prince and princess's official Skaugum estate outside Oslo. Commentators saw his trial as the biggest scandal Norway's royals had ever had to face. The weekend before the trial started, hundreds of emails dating from 2011-14 emerged linking the crown princess to Epstein, intensifying public scrutiny and heaping embarrassment on the royal family.
Mette-Marit is also suffering from health issues, having contracted the lung disease pulmonary fibrosis. Her condition has deteriorated, and she is not expected to take part in a state visit by the king and queen of the Belgians next week. The couple last spoke to public broadcaster NRK in a documentary broadcast in December, when she complained at being criticised for how they had handled Marius Borg Høiby as parents. Gahr Støre stated this week that an inquiry into the foreign ministry's links with Epstein was vital for restoring trust in democracy.
