OSLO, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Monday the Nordic country's crown princess, Mette-Marit, displayed poor judgement in having contacts with Jeffrey Epstein, following fresh reports of her ties with the late U.S. sex offender.
New files related to Epstein published by the U.S. Justice Department on Friday included extensive email correspondence between Mette-Marit and Epstein after he was found guilty of child sex crimes in 2008.
On Saturday, Mette-Marit, the spouse of the heir to the throne Haakon, apologised for maintaining contacts, saying she showed poor judgement. On Monday, Stoere agreed with her.
"I am really using her own words. She says she has showed bad judgement. I agree and I think it is worth saying that when I am asked my opinion about this," Stoere told reporters.
Asked whether he had been in contact with the royal palace about the matter, Stoere said he had not.
The prime minister added that Mette-Marit, and other prominent Norwegians who were named in the latest Epstein documents published, should provide more details about their involvement with Epstein.
"We have seen that the information that has emerged has shed more light on the matter than what has been said before," Stoere said."It may perhaps be reasonable to say that they should explain the extent of the contacts that have taken place."
'I DEEPLY REGRET THIS'
The publication of the new Epstein documents comes at a time of multiple challenges for the royal family, with Mette-Marit's son, Marius, from a relationship prior to her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, facing trial on rape and domestic violence charges. The case starts on Tuesday.
"I must take responsibility for not having investigated Epstein's background more thoroughly, and for not realising sooner what kind of person he was," Mette-Marit said in a statement to Reuters via the royal palace.
"I deeply regret this, and it is a responsibility I must bear. I showed poor judgement and regret having had any contact with Epstein at all. It is simply embarrassing."
The generally low-key monarchy is popular among Norway's 5.6 million inhabitants.
Some 70% of Norwegians support the monarchy as an institution, according to a Norstat poll for public broadcaster NRK published on Friday and conducted among 1,030 people in January. The poll was published before the publication of the latest Epstein documents.
FACING MULTIPLE PROBLEMS
The Nordic country is a constitutional monarchy in which the king is the formal head of state while political power rests with parliament and the government.
Its royal family has faced several problems in recent years.
King Harald, 88, Europe's oldest living monarch, cut back activity in 2024 after being hospitalised to treat an infection and later receiving a pacemaker.
Mette-Marit herself is in need of a lung transplant after being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, a chronic disease that causes scarring in the lungs and leads to a reduced oxygen uptake.
Meanwhile, King Harald's daughter, Martha Louise, stepped down from official royal duties in 2022 to allow her to more freely pursue her own business ventures, and said both she and her husband, an American self-styled shaman, would refrain from using her title as princess in a commercial setting.
They both received criticism last year for starring in a Netflix documentary chronicling their daily lives, including their wedding, and for being critical of the king and queen.
(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche; Editing by Alex Richardson)
