Crown Princess Mette-Marit's connection with Jeffrey Epstein

[Royalist.in.NC]

Those numbers are amazingly strong, all things considered. The more interesting question is what kind of support she'll have in a month or two, after more of her son's private life -- and possibly hers -- becomes public through the trial.

Reading the part about all this falling on Ingrid, it's possible she could say not, too. If Haakon steps down, it's not inconceivable that she says, "Nope, that's not the life I want, either." Her brother and cousins might feel the same way.

Queen Astrid would likely have a short reign, but I'm sure she'd do an excellent job.

Does anyone know about Astrid’s children?

 

[Halise]

They should be Ragnhild's children

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

They should be Ragnhild's children

I don’t know anything about Ragnhild’s children but am interested.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Most of the late Princess Ragnhild's descendants live in Brazil, and unlike Astrid, Princess Ragnhild ceased to be a working royal after marriage.

That is why, as I said in the succession thread, I think Astrid would probably have been elected as heir to the throne by Parliament if, hypothetically, Harald's children had both lost their succession rights on marriage. (When there is no heir to the throne, Parliament can elect one under Article 7 of the Constitution.)

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

Most of the late Princess Ragnhild's descendants live in Brazil, and unlike Astrid, Princess Ragnhild ceased to be a working royal after marriage.

That is why, as I said in the succession thread, I think Astrid would probably have been elected as heir to the throne by Parliament if, hypothetically, Harald's children had both lost their succession rights on marriage. (When there is no heir to the throne, Parliament can elect one under Article 7 of the Constitution.)

Thanks so much!

 

[Halise]

That's right, some of them lived in Norway for a while, and there's a short film of them remembering "Grandpa Olav."
However, it seems they're all currently settled in Brazil. Someone got divorced last year, but I think it was one of Astrid's children. There's no way to find out much about them; they're flying under the radar.

 

[TRL]

Looks like a journalist was investigating MM and was ordered to stop.

"– I received a tip in 2015 that the Norwegian consulate in New York was constantly having to pick up Mette-Marit at the airport, and that she was going on her own errands. The trips were described as frequent and spontaneous, says journalist Kjell Erik Eilertsen."
"– I didn't get a response to the email immediately. But two days later, editor-in-chief Trygve Hegnar came into my office. He told me that the matter should be put away, says Eilertsen.
– You hadn't told your editor-in-chief about the matter at that time?
– No, I hadn't. So rather than replying to my email, the Palace had obviously contacted Hegnar to stop the matter."

Hevder kritisk sak om Mette-Marits New York-reiser ble stoppet: – Jeg fikk ordre

– Jeg fikk ordre om å stoppe saken, sier journalist Kjell Erik Eilertsen om saken han jobbet med i 2015.

www.document.no

Lends credence to rumors a decade ago or so that she was stepping out on Haakon. Not necessarily with Epstein. I've seen the name of a wealthy Norwegian somewhere else. But also, her youngest kids were 12, 10 at the time... I guess she just left them with Haakon?

I suspect if we read between the lines that their marriage has only been a public one for sometime. Or staying together "for the sake of the kids." I've seen rumors elsewhere that it hasn't been a happy marriage and that they essentially go their separate ways: Haakon with his royal duties and outdoor activities.... MM with a less than stellar royal workload and preferences for the beach and shopping.

 

[LadyFinn]

NRK's large article, they asked questions from the Palace:
December 26, 2012.
Haakon, Mette-Marit and children are traveling for Christmas vacation to the island of St. Barts. When Haakon and the children went home, Mette-Marit had other plans. She parted ways with her family and headed to Florida for a stay at Jeffrey Epstein's villa.
* In 2019, Mette-Marit said in a statement from the Palace that she would never have had anything to do with Epstein if she had been aware of the seriousness of Epstein's actions.
NRK has asked the Palace if they lied in 2019.
They won't answer that. They also will not answer whether they have tried to downplay the relationship between Mette-Marit and Epstein.
* NRK has asked the Palace whether Jeffrey Epstein financed teeth whitening for Mette-Marit.
– Epstein recommended a dentist, but teeth whitening was not part of the treatment, writes Guri Varpe.
* The palace has confirmed that Mette-Marit met Epstein at his home in Palm Beach.
– The meeting with Epstein at his [...] home occurred in connection with the Crown Princess borrowing his house in Palm Beach through a mutual friend, writes communications manager Varpe.
Varpe also points out that at all the meetings with Epstein "there were several people present." From January 10 to January 11, the Epstein documents show at least four people present: Mette-Marit, meditation teacher Sharon "Myoshin" Kelley, Boris Nikolic and Jeffrey Epstein. It is unknown to NRK whether Epstein and/or Nikolic stayed overnight in the Palm Beach villa.

Kronprinsessen fikk to invitasjoner til «Epstein-øyen»

På juleferie i Karibia ble kronprinsessen spurt av Epstein om hun ville komme til hans private øy. Senere skilte hun lag med familien og møtte ham i Florida.

www.nrk.no

 

[Marengo]

The thing is that when you start with a lie and people find out, little will be believed afterwards. And that is where we are now. The palace can say what they want and it may even be true, but at this stage many people will draw their own conclusions. Trust goes away on horseback and only returns on foot.

From the emails it is clear MM for example partially knew who he was. She said she had googled him, and said it made interesting reading, followed by a smiley. I imagine a google search in 2012 would lead to “wealthy financier who got a controversial plea deal in Florida” and not to “serial sex trafficker with global elite ties” yet though. Still, photos of him and Andrew had been in the papers and led to controversy, it is unlikely she did not know that.

 

[An Ard Ri]

One wonders how many more skeletons there are in the closet regarding the Crown Princess and her son!

 

[Somebody]

Norway’s largest centre for sexual and reproductive health and rights has terminated it´s cooperation with Crown Princess Mette-Marit.

Uttalelse fra Sex og samfunn: - Sex og samfunn

Sex og samfunn ønsker ikke lengre HKH Kronprinsesse Mette-Marit som høy beskytter for Skamløsprisen.

sexogsamfunn.no

"The important thing for the foundation has been the consideration of our patients, of all victims of abuse and of all those who stand up to prevent sexual abuse, including several of the winners of the Skamløs Prize. It is with their consideration that we now wish to end our collaboration with HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit, patron of the Skamløs Prize.

Sex and Society is aware that we do not know everything in this matter, but at the same time we believe that what has already been made known is incompatible with what the Shameless Award stands for."

Im sure there will be more patronages that follow this lead.

MM is also patron of FOKUS, an organization centered around gender equality and women's rights. I wouldn't be surprised if she loses this patronage as well. But time will tell.

The Norwegian Red Cross has announced that they will discuss her patronage…. She has been their patron since 2005…

If organizations start to remove their royal patron because of their (past) behavior, that's a serious sign that the monarchy will need to address that situation - much more than they've done so far.

Nonetheless, I understand not reacting in haste but some response is needed before more organizations start to drop Mette-Marit is their patron (for understandable reasons). Just removing yourself from the public view and sending out a press release pretending you didn't really know (when it is clear you knew more than previously acknowledged) and stating that now you are 'embarrassed' is most likely not enough to turn the tide.

 

[Mbruno]

If organizations start to remove their royal patron because of their (past) behavior, that's a serious sign that the monarchy will need to address that situation - much more than they've done so far.

Nonetheless, I understand not reacting in haste but some response is needed before more organizations start to drop Mette-Marit is their patron (for understandable reasons). Just removing yourself from the public view and sending out a press release pretending you didn't really know (when it is clear you knew more than previously acknowledged) and stating that now you are 'embarrassed' is most likely not enough to turn the tide.

Turning down the patronage of the Crown Princess or, in the future, of the Queen consort herself, is indeed very serious, not least because being a patron of several organizations is something that goes inherently with the "job" of being Queen consort. It is much more serious and significant than dropping an ordinary junior royal and calls into question MM's ability to perform her royal duties now and in the future.

The more I see it, the more I am convinced she will have to retire pernanently from public duties, which is tragic for a monarchy, especially one like Norway with such a small royal family.

 

[Muhler]

It is not just a problem of protections sacking her, it will be just as much about othe organizatiokns not wanting her in the future.

 

[An Ard Ri]

It is not just a problem of protections sacking her, it will be just as much about othe organizatiokns not wanting her in the future.

Not exactly the image you want for a future queen consort and a very worrying time for the king and queen!

 

[moby]

I can’t help but think that, had this occurred in another European royal family—particularly in a context where it was known that correspondence between the Crown Princess and Epstein would eventually surface—the patronages would have been gradually transferred to Ingrid Alexandra, even with her leaving for uni because there's just no one else. It would have been framed around the Crown Princess’s worsening health condition. By the time the news broke, this would have avoided placing organizations in the awkward position of having to publicly decline the future Queen’s patronage.

 

[Moran]

Is it possible that the NRF's people didn't know about the upcoming emergence of the emails? MM isn't one who relies on logic much so perhaps she hoped it could just "pass her by"? By the way they react, they look like people blindsided to me.

 

[LadyFinn]

The Kristiansand International Children's Film Festival will discuss its collaboration with Mette-Marit at a board meeting this week.
Cathrine Sordal, festival director, informs Dagbladet that they will hold a board meeting on Friday where they will assess the situation in more detail.
- We will discuss it at the meeting on Friday. For now, we stand behind Støre's statement that she should have shown better judgment. It is not natural for us to say more than that.

Ny organisasjon varsler møte

Nok en organisasjon som kronprinsessen er høy beskytter for har varslet et møte: - Burde utvist bedre dømmekraft.

www.dagbladet.no

 

[Erin9]

Is it possible that the NRF's people didn't know about the upcoming emergence of the emails? MM isn't one who relies on logic much so perhaps she hoped it could just "pass her by"? By the way they react, they look like people blindsided to me.

I’ve wondered the same. How honest has Mette been with everyone? Wouldn’t surprise me if she downplayed everything to them. (And I’d bet Andrew did the same.)

The Epstein mess has been around for a very long time now. It’s surprised me how much staying power it’s had- especially after a long period of absolutely nothing going on.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Here is the 2019 discussion on Mette-Marit's connection with Jeffrey Epstein, for anyone else looking for it.

General News & Information about Haakon,Mette-Marit & Family 1: July 2014 - June 2020

What is the latest on this? https://royalcentral.co.uk/europe/norway/norways-crown-prince-couple-possibly-involved-in-norwegian-russian-spy-exchange-133159/

www.theroyalforums.com

This is interesting:

The government declines to comment on whether the NRF should have done a background check on Epstein and refer that question to court.

Erna taus om Mette-Marit-skandalen

Statsministeren sier det er Slottet som må avklare.

www.dagbladet.no

It seems then the government never conducted a background check on Jeffrey Epstein, considering that to be a decision for the royal court.

Returning to 2026:

[...] * In 2019, Mette-Marit said in a statement from the Palace that she would never have had anything to do with Epstein if she had been aware of the seriousness of Epstein's actions.
NRK has asked the Palace if they lied in 2019.
They won't answer that. They also will not answer whether they have tried to downplay the relationship between Mette-Marit and Epstein.
[...]

Kronprinsessen fikk to invitasjoner til «Epstein-øyen»

På juleferie i Karibia ble kronprinsessen spurt av Epstein om hun ville komme til hans private øy. Senere skilte hun lag med familien og møtte ham i Florida.

www.nrk.no

I am surprised the Palace is refusing to say whether they lied in 2019.

Cynically, even if they did lie in 2019, it seems to me they could simply claim they misremembered. (As mentioned abovethread, Guri Varpe recently said that when they (wrongly) claimed in 2019 that the Crown Princess cut contact with Jeffrey Epstein in 2013, it was because they misremembered.)

Guri Varpe was already head of palace communications in 2019, so it is presumably not an issue of not knowing what happened in 2019.

So what is the reason for the palace to refuse to say “No, we may have been mistaken, but we’ve never lied”?

 

[llj]

......
Returning to 2026:

I am surprised the Palace is refusing to say whether they lied in 2019.

Cynically, even if they did lie in 2019, it seems to me they could simply claim they misremembered. (As mentioned abovethread, Guri Varpe recently said that when they (wrongly) claimed in 2019 that the Crown Princess cut contact with Jeffrey Epstein in 2013, it was because they misremembered.)

Guri Varpe was already head of palace communications in 2019, so it is presumably not an issue of not knowing what happened in 2019.

So what is the reason for the palace to refuse to say “No, we may have been mistaken, but we’ve never lied”?

My guess is that the palace communications team didn't lie, but were lied to by the Crown Princess.

 

[llj]

I really gave Mette-Marit the benefit of the doubt 25/26 years ago. I wanted her to succeed as a royal and as a wife and mother. How wrong I was. If I were Norwegian, my feelings on this would be very strong and unequivocal - after Harald, no more monarchy. But I am not, and I wish the Norwegians peace and clarity as they move forward with every royal revelation and crisis.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

From a representatively sampled poll conducted 2-3 February 2026 by Norstat:

76% have lost some trust in Crown Princess Mette-Marit “following the new information about her contact with Jeffrey Epstein”. 23% maintain the same level of trust in her.

44% think she is unsuitable to be queen. 35% are unsure. 22% think she is suitable.

66% support the monarchy (down from 70% two weeks ago).

3 av 4 har fått svekket tillit til kronprinsesse Mette-Marit

Tilliten til kronprinsessen stuper, viser en fersk meningsmåling utført av Norstat for NRK og Dagbladet. 76 prosent svarer at de har fått svekket tillit til kronprinsessen etter den nylige informasjonen om hennes kontakt med Jeffrey Epstein, mens 23 prosent mener at tilliten er uendret...

www.nrk.no

 

[Princess_Eleanor]

My guess is that the palace communications team didn't lie, but were lied to by the Crown Princess.

I agree, that's what I think as well. The palace press office probably wasn't told the truth by Mette-Marit, therefore they lied on her behalf without realizing it at the time. Now they don't know what to say, because they might say something based on the information they have today that could turn out to be another lie down the line, if more Epstein files are released.

 

[hereditarytitles]

Here is the 2019 discussion on Mette-Marit's connection with Jeffrey Epstein, for anyone else looking for it.

General News & Information about Haakon,Mette-Marit & Family 1: July 2014 - June 2020

What is the latest on this? https://royalcentral.co.uk/europe/norway/norways-crown-prince-couple-possibly-involved-in-norwegian-russian-spy-exchange-133159/

www.theroyalforums.com

This is interesting:



It seems then the government never conducted a background check on Jeffrey Epstein, considering that to be a decision for the royal court.

Returning to 2026:



I am surprised the Palace is refusing to say whether they lied in 2019.

Cynically, even if they did lie in 2019, it seems to me they could simply claim they misremembered. (As mentioned abovethread, Guri Varpe recently said that when they (wrongly) claimed in 2019 that the Crown Princess cut contact with Jeffrey Epstein in 2013, it was because they misremembered.)

Guri Varpe was already head of palace communications in 2019, so it is presumably not an issue of not knowing what happened in 2019.

So what is the reason for the palace to refuse to say “No, we may have been mistaken, but we’ve never lied”?

As you are mentioning the government in Norway, I just read an interesting article in paper "Welt" today in connection with Norway's politicians and their relations with Epstein.
The article says that the Norwegian Foreign Ministry in Oslo has temporarily relieved Ambassador Mona Juul of her duties, Foreign Minister Espen Barth-Eide announced on Monday. According to Norwegian media reports, M. Juul and her husband's two children are named as heirs to a total of ten million dollars (8.5 million euros) in Jeffrey Epstein's will.The ministry is currently working to "shed light on the matter" regarding her contacts with Jeffrey Epstein.
Juul previously served as Norway's ambassador to the United Nations and is currently Norway's top diplomat in Jordan.
In addition to Juul, the names of former Prime Minister and former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, and former Foreign Minister Børge Brende also appear in the newly revealed documents, according to Norwegian media.

Brende is currently President of the World Economic Forum in Davos. He met with Epstein for dinner several times in New York in 2018 and 2019. Last November, he told the Norwegian newspaper "Aftenposten" that he had "never had anything to do with Epstein.

Mona Juul: Ihre Kinder sollten Jeffrey Epsteins Millionen erben – Norwegen suspendiert Botschafterin - WELT

Norwegens Kronprinzessin Mette-Marit gab bereits „peinliche Fehler“ im Umgang mit Jeffrey Epstein zu. Nun gerät auch eine der bekanntesten Diplomatinnen Norwegens ins Visier.

www.welt.de

 

[Maryrose]

^ I think that there will be a lot of people who have met Epstein. He was traveling in all of these circles of wealthy, famous politicians, business people, royalty. It's innocent enough. The problem is the people emailing, constantly visiting, getting money and pictures that is going to be the deciding factor of who met him in a social setting and others who had a friendship.

 

[Granada]

I guess We really shouldn't be surprised by these developments. When someone tells you who they are.....believe them.

In the Norwegian Documentary about Crown Princess Mette in 2011 this is what She said about her role as Crown Princess.
"It's been important for me to determine that I am the one who makes THE CHOICES during my life, AND OTHERS HAVE TO ADAPT."
Very interesting perspective for her to state publicly, in light of what was going on in her private life. She didn't care then and She doesn't care now.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Looks like a journalist was investigating MM and was ordered to stop.

"– I received a tip in 2015 that the Norwegian consulate in New York was constantly having to pick up Mette-Marit at the airport, and that she was going on her own errands. The trips were described as frequent and spontaneous, says journalist Kjell Erik Eilertsen."
"– I didn't get a response to the email immediately. But two days later, editor-in-chief Trygve Hegnar came into my office. He told me that the matter should be put away, says Eilertsen.
– You hadn't told your editor-in-chief about the matter at that time?
– No, I hadn't. So rather than replying to my email, the Palace had obviously contacted Hegnar to stop the matter."

Hevder kritisk sak om Mette-Marits New York-reiser ble stoppet: – Jeg fikk ordre

– Jeg fikk ordre om å stoppe saken, sier journalist Kjell Erik Eilertsen om saken han jobbet med i 2015.

www.document.no

If Kjell Erik Eilertsen is right in assuming the Royal House took action to stop his report from being published - even though "Our Crown Princess sure loves jetting off to NYC" is hardly the type of story that would threaten the monarchy! - then one can only imagine how much pressure the Royal House would have exerted to prevent actually damaging stories (e.g., illegal drugs, sex crimes) about members of the Royal Family from leaking.

 

[hereditarytitles]

^ I think that there will be a lot of people who have met Epstein. He was traveling in all of these circles of wealthy, famous politicians, business people, royalty. It's innocent enough. The problem is the people emailing, constantly visiting, getting money and pictures that is going to be the deciding factor of who met him in a social setting and others who had a friendship.

Yes, I agree. However, when the children of politicians/diplomats are bequeathed $10 million in Epstein's will, one wonders why.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Being dropped by some patronages (and under “discussion” by others) is also what happened to Princess Märtha Louise a couple of months before she withdrew from all official duties.

Outside Norway, it is also what happened to the Duke of York immediately before he stepped back from public duties.

It is thus not a good omen for a working royal’s career, if recent precedence is any indication.

However, the situation with Crown Princess Mette-Marit is slightly different in that she is the consort to the future monarch, not a "mere" spare, but also in that she is already on temporary leave for (officially) another reason and it has already been announced that she may need to take further leaves in the future due to her terminal illness.

 

[Prinsara]

66% support the monarchy (down from 70% two weeks ago).

Yikes. What happened to more than 80%? This ain’t good…