The Norwegian Crown Princess gave a "repentant" interview about her friendship with Epstein amid the rape case against her son.

Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit, whose son faces more than seven years in prison in a high-profile rape case, has spoken publicly for the first time about her ties to billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. In an interview with state broadcaster NRK, she claimed the financier "manipulated and deceived" her, and that while she knew he was a "bad man," she knew nothing of his crimes.

The princess was accompanied by her husband, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, during the interview. Before it began, she announced to reporters that she had been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. "I am the mother of a young man who found himself in a very difficult situation. Furthermore, my health requires special attention. And it has deteriorated. It is incredibly important for me to take responsibility for not having investigated Jeffrey Epstein's past more thoroughly and to take responsibility for having been manipulated and deceived," Mette-Marit began.

She added that she doesn't need sympathy: it's Epstein's abused victims who deserve it, and she feels "intense anger" at the lack of justice for them. At the same time, the princess emphasized that she finds it difficult to comprehend her possible contribution to legitimizing Epstein.

According to Mette-Marit, she and the billionaire met through mutual friends in 2011, when she was a special representative for the United Nations AIDS Programme. However, she doesn't blame the people who introduced her to Jeffrey and takes full responsibility: "I'm to blame for not checking everything thoroughly enough. It was a friendly relationship. First and foremost, Epstein was a friend of a friend. If the question is whether my relationship with Epstein was any different, the answer is no."

When journalists expressed doubt that the princess was unaware of Epstein's allegations, reminding her of a letter she sent him in 2011 (in which Mette-Marit wrote: "I looked up information about you on Google... It all doesn't look very good :)"), Mette-Marit stated that she "doesn't remember" the circumstances of this correspondence, and if she had been aware of the financier's sex crimes, she "wouldn't have put a smiley face at the end."

During the interview, the princess also acknowledged that she had once stayed at Epstein's Palm Beach home (which she claimed was rented by a mutual friend), but denied accepting any significant favors or gifts from him.

Remarkably, while recounting her time at Jeffrey's, Mette-Marit mentioned that she had "experienced something" while there, which served as a signal to her to sever all contact with him as soon as possible. She didn't go into detail, only emphasizing that she had called her husband that day and shared her concerns. Crown Prince Haakon confirmed his wife's account, noting that he still remembers that call. He, incidentally, according to the princess, knew of all her contacts with Epstein and even met with him during vacations.

The Jeffrey Epstein scandal has become one of the most high-profile in the United States in recent years. The billionaire was accused of trafficking minors: according to investigators, over the course of many years, he brought girls to his homes in Manhattan and the Virgin Islands, where they were subsequently subjected to violence, including sexual assault. Epstein befriended celebrities, politicians, and the business elite—his acquaintances included Prince Andrew, Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Elon Musk, and many others. In 2008, the businessman was convicted of sex crimes but received a lenient sentence. In 2019, he was arrested again, but a month later, Epstein was found dead in his prison cell. Officially, it was ruled a suicide, but many still doubt this.

As for the Crown Princess's son, we are talking about 29-year-old Marius Borg Høiby, whom Mette-Marit had in a previous relationship. He is accused of 38 crimes, including four rapes, domestic violence, aggravated drug-related offenses, threats to kill, violating a restraining order, and other offenses. Høiby himself has partially admitted guilt to lesser charges (drugs and traffic violations), but he denies rape, insisting the encounters were voluntary. The prosecutor's office has requested a seven-year, seven-month prison sentence, but the final verdict will be handed down in early June.

Let us remember that Marius Borg Høiby, being the stepson of the Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon, has no right to the Norwegian throne, nor does he have the royal title.

Photo: Video stills/NRK US Department of Justice Rune Hellestad/Getty Images