What to know about Norway’s royals as crown princess expresses new regret over Epstein ties

OSLO, Norway (AP) - The future queen of Norway has expressed new regret over her past links with Jeffrey Epstein.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit on Friday apologized for the situation she has put the royal family in - "especially the King and Queen" - after a new release of Epstein files that Norwegian media said contained several hundred mentions of her.

The new apology from the wife of Crown Prince Haakon, less than a week after her initial expression of regret, caps a tough week for the family: Her 29-year-old son from a previous relationship went on trial for rape and other charges this week.

King Harald, 88, belongs to the House of Glücksburg and heads a monarchy in Norway that dates back more than 1,100 years. He has ties to other European houses and like the other European monarchs he wields no real political power today.

Harald married Sonja Haraldsen, a commoner, in 1968. Their son Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit, both 52, were married in 2001. She was a single mother who had lived a freewheeling life with a companion who had been convicted on drug charges.

The crown prince and princess share two children: Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 21, who is in the line of succession to become monarch one day, and 19-year-old Prince Sverre Magnus.

Mette-Marit has long been known to have had contacts with Epstein. After the latest release of documents a week ago, she said in a statement that she took responsibility for "not having investigated Epstein's background more thoroughly."

The crown princess also expressed "deep sympathy and solidarity" with the victims of abuse committed by Epstein.

The latest release of Epstein files showed an email exchange with her in October 2012 in which he noted how he was in Paris "on my wife hunt," but "i prefer Scandinavians."

She replied that Paris was "good for adultery" but "Scandis" were "better wife material."

Mette-Marit's statement on Friday said: "Some of the content of the messages between Epstein and me does not represent the person I want to be."

On Tuesday, her son from an earlier relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, went on trial to face charges including rape, abuse in a close relationship, acts of violence and making death threats. He has denied the most serious charges; other include transporting marijuana and traffic violations.

The crown prince issued a statement last week saying the couple would not be present in court nor comment on the case over the expected seven weeks of proceedings.

The statement noted that Høiby was not a member of the Royal House but called him "an important member of our family."

Mette-Marit has had medical issues recently. She was diagnosed in 2018 with a lung disease known as pulmonary fibrosis. Last month the royal court said medical tests had shown a "clear worsening" of her condition and that physicians had started looking into the possibility of lung-transplant surgery for her.

The royal family has traditionally enjoyed wide public support, but its popularity has declined since Oslo police in August 2024 said Høiby was facing suspicion for causing bodily harm and criminal damage.

A Norstat agency poll for Dagbladet daily and public broadcaster NRK showed that two-thirds of respondents said they supported the constitutional monarchy as a form of government, down from nearly three-fourths in August. A similar poll for VG also indicated declining support for the monarchy.