Police said that the eldest son of Norway’s crown princess has been arrested just before his trial opens on charges including rape in a case that has been an embarrassment to the royal family.In a statement emailed by the royal house, Mette-Marit said that she “must take responsibility for not having investigated Epstein’s background more thoroughly, and for not realizing sooner what kind of person he was.”
“I deeply regret this, and it is a responsibility I must bear. I showed poor judgment and regret having had any contact with Epstein at all,” she said. “It is simply embarrassing.”
She expressed her “deep sympathy and solidarity” with the victims of Epstein’s abuse.
Mette-Marit’s contacts with Epstein and the Høiby trial aren’t the only source of negative publicity for Norway’s royals. The business ventures of Haakon’s sister, Princess Märtha Louise, have drawn repeated criticism. In 2024, around the same time Høiby’s case was making news, she married an American self-professed shaman, Durek Verrett.
