Norwegian Royal Is Sorry About Epstein Links

Norway's prime minister isn't letting Crown Princess Mette-Marit off the hook, agreeing with her own admission that she showed "poor judgment" in maintaining ties with Jeffrey Epstein. The move adds rare political pressure to an already embattled royal household, the BBC reports. Newly released US Justice Department documents place the crown princess in frequent contact with Epstein between 2011 and 2014, including a four-day stay at his Palm Beach home in January 2013. Mette-Marit, who said years ago that she regretted her links to Epstein, is mentioned hundreds of times in the newly released files.

The correspondence includes an email from her official account asking Epstein if a mother should propose wallpaper featuring naked women with a surfboard for her son's room. Some messages suggest she knew about his earlier 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor. The BBC reports that Norwegians are shocked by the "warm nature of her correspondence. In a statement on Saturday, Mette-Marit said she regretted having any connection to Epstein and called the situation "simply embarrassing," while expressing "deep sympathy and solidarity" with his victims.

Mette-Marit said she "must take responsibility for not having investigated Epstein's background more thoroughly, and for not realizing sooner what kind of person he was," France24 reports. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said he agreed with her assessment and used the same "poor judgment" phrase about former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland, who once planned, but later canceled, a family holiday on Epstein's private island.

The royal family was already facing a crisis: the upcoming seven-week trial of the princess's 29-year-old son, Marius Borg Høiby, on 38 counts including rape and sexual assault, which begins Tuesday. As the stepson of the future king, he is not a formal member of the royal family. He denies the most serious allegations, some of which involve women said to be asleep or otherwise incapacitated. Conviction could bring a sentence of at least 10 years. No royals are expected in court when proceedings begin Tuesday in Oslo. Høiby was arrested Sunday and accused of assault, threats with a knife, and violation of a restraining order.