Epstein ‘manipulated and deceived’ me: Norwegian royal

Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit says she regrets her friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, seeking to contain one of the biggest scandals to hit the country’s royal family.

The US Justice Department’s release of millions of Epstein documents sent shockwaves around the world, revealing the disgraced financier’s ties to prominent figures including the crown princess and top Norwegian politicians, corporate executives and diplomats.

“I was manipulated and deceived,” Mette-Marit said in an interview with public broadcaster NRK.

“Of course, I wish I had never met him,” she said of Epstein.

The files showed frequent communications between Mette-Marit and Epstein long after Epstein pleaded guilty to raping an underage girl in 2008.

The 52-year-old crown princess, who apologized to King Harald and Queen Sonja in a statement on February 6, was not accused of any crime.

While previous media reports suggested Mette-Marit had links to Epstein, the new documents showed a more extensive relationship, prompting an unusual rebuke from the prime minister and demands for him to make a full disclosure.

The princess, wife of heir-to-the-throne Crown Prince Haakon, maintained contact with Epstein from 2011 to 2014 and stayed at his Palm Beach home for four days during a private trip in 2013, according to U.S. filings.

“I have never seen anything illegal,” Mette-Marit told NRK on Friday.

A survey of 1,009 respondents in February showed the royal family’s popularity had taken a hit in recent months.

According to a Norstat poll published by public broadcaster NRK on February 21, nearly 60 percent of Norwegians support the monarchy, down from 70 percent in January, while 27 percent support a republic, up from 19 percent in the same period.

with DPA