Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit has issued a second public apology regarding her relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, expressing particular regret for the difficulties she has created for the Norwegian royal household.
"I also apologise for the situation that I have put the Royal Family in, especially the King and Queen," the Crown Princess stated in new communication released through the palace today.
The 52-year-old royal, married to Crown Prince Haakon since 2001, had already offered an initial apology last week following the emergence of damaging revelations in newly released US Justice Department documents.
The files made public by the US Justice Department last week contained substantial email exchanges between the Crown Princess and Epstein.
Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit has issued a second public apology regarding her relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, expressing particular regret for the difficulties she has created for the Norwegian royal household.
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Norwegian media outlets have reported that Mette-Marit's name appears roughly 1,000 times throughout the millions of pages of newly unsealed Epstein documents.
The correspondence between the pair spanned from 2011 to 2014, a period during which Epstein had already pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution.
"I showed poor judgment and I deeply regret having had any contact with Epstein. It is simply embarrassing," the Crown Princess acknowledged in her initial statement issued through the palace last Saturday.
In one email from 2011, the Crown Princess admitted to researching Epstein online, noting that it "didn't look too good" and adding a smiling emoji to her message.
The 52-year-old royal, married to Crown Prince Haakon since 2001, had already offered an initial apology last week following the emergence of damaging revelations in newly released US Justice Department documents.
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Despite this awareness of his background, she characterised the disgraced financier as "very charming" in their exchanges.
The documents reveal that Mette-Marit encountered Epstein on at least three separate occasions between 2011 and 2013, with meetings taking place in Oslo, New York and the Caribbean.
Perhaps most notably, the unsealed files show she stayed at Epstein's Florida property for four days in 2013.
The Crown Princess has taken responsibility "for not having checked Epstein's background more closely and not understanding quickly enough what kind of person he was."
The documents reveal that Mette-Marit encountered Epstein on at least three separate occasions between 2011 and 2013, with meetings taking place in Oslo, New York and the Caribbean.
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According to the palace, Mette-Marit severed ties with Epstein in 2014 after determining he was attempting to leverage their connection to gain access to other influential figures.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store responded on Monday by calling for the Crown Princess and other prominent Norwegians named in the documents to provide further details about their dealings with Epstein.
The Prime Minister had previously stated on Sunday that he "agreed" the Crown Princess had demonstrated poor judgment.
Royal historian Ole-Jorgen Schulsrud-Hansen commented that the correspondence "almost gives the impression that they were close friends," whilst noting that the broader context of the messages remained uncertain.
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