On 25 August 2001, a buttery Crown Prince Haakon stood in front of his Mette-Marit in Oslo Cathedral. That time he got “yes”, and they became real husband and wife.
It was the first royal wedding to take place in Norway since then Crown Prince Harald married Sonja Haraldsen – in 1968.
Since 2001, Crown Princess Mette-Marit (52) has been one of Norway’s most visible people, with the press almost in tow and Instagram accounts devoted to her personal, royal wardrobe.
But in recent weeks it has been unusually quiet around Mette-Marit.
On 30 January 2026, the news that she had had extensive contact with the late billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, convicted of abuse, fell like a bomb in the Norwegian and foreign press. At the same time, his son Marius Borg Høiby (29) is charged with 40 counts in the Oslo district court.
Since then, we have received a trickle of statements here and there from the Crown Princess. But the really big statement, it has not been forthcoming, and she has been silent about the details of the friendship.
Today, Tuesday, it is 42 days since the Crown Princess last appeared in public, that time on an official mission at the Fredrikstad library.
And she has been silent about the details of the Epstein friendship for over 1,000 hours.
– Every detail will be scrutinized
– Must be unusually detailed
A number of experts Dagbladet has spoken to over the past five weeks have been clear in their speech: Mette-Marit must make a detailed statement about the close contact.
Sigrid
White stone
Commentator
The daily newspaper
Dagbladet’s commentator Sigrid Hvidsten points out that Mette-Marit is currently in an “extremely difficult situation”.
– She has a serious lung disease, her son is under indictment in the Oslo district court and in addition it turns out that she has a more intimate relationship with Jeffrey Epstein than has previously come to light, she says, and continues:
– It’s an awful lot at once. Especially while the trial against Marius Borg Høiby is ongoing, I think it is good to show both human and health considerations and accept that she will not be on the field straight away.
HARD WEATHER: Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been in rough weather after her private conversations with the late Jeffrey Epstein were made public. Now the NRK program is complaining about the incident. Video: “Humoretaten”/ NRK, Sanne Holt/ Rød Løper
At the same time, she points out that the Crown Princess is not accused of having done anything criminal, but that:
– She is accused of having poor judgement. Having said that: It is extremely important that she gives a proper explanation when the time comes. It is not enough to lie flat and complain, here the facts must simply be on the table. She must be prepared to have to explain herself in unusual detail about her relationship with and association with Jeffrey Epstein.
– I believe that there is little doubt that he used her as part of his plan to be rehabilitated back into “good company”. There are thus many questions that both the Norwegian people and Epstein’s victims have a right to receive answers to in this case. I think it would be very unwise to give a classic royal “wishy-washy” answer here, the matter is so serious that unanswered questions will linger for a long, long time.
The doctor rejects the claim
– The trial against Marius Borg Høiby is coming to an end. I think that the answer from Mette-Marit should come within a few weeks after that.
Can’t wait for months
The day after the revelation about the crown princess’s close Epstein contact came, Se og Hør’s long-time royal house expert Caroline Vagle told Dagbladet that she reacted that “the contact is of a different caliber than we have heard about before”.
– It doesn’t look good! I am reacting to the fact that she withheld information in the first place, and that she has since remained silent – even though she, like everyone else, knew that these documents would appear.
Caroline
Wobble
Royal house expert
See and Hear
On 21 February, barely a month after the revelation, Trond Albert Skjelbred, partner in the communication house Apriil PR, told Dagbladet that he was critical of the fact that the crown princess had not yet appeared for an interview with the press.
Then she had been virtually silent for 22 days, other than giving short statements via the Palace, where she said, among other things, that she needed more time.
Trond Albert
Shell width
PR expert
Partner, April PR
– The Crown Princess said she would come back, just not right now. But we can’t wait months for that to happen either. It will cost her not to stand up to the press, he said at the time, adding:
– The only way to kill rumors is with facts. I think the crown prince couple should call a press conference and sit down with a joint press corps. They are in a crisis and a statement here and there is too weak. We expect more, we are a small and open society.
– Every detail will be scrutinized
When 38 days had passed since the last time the public had seen the face of Mette-Marit, Nettavisen’s royal house expert Tove Taalesen said that “the clock is ticking”.
Tove
This is the case
Royal house expert
The online newspaper
Taalesen was Norway’s first female lackey at the Norwegian Court. She worked there from 2007 to 2018.
– Because the Epstein case has called her own judgment into question, and she must find an explanation that holds up. Now five weeks have passed – the clock is ticking. The longer she waits, the more difficult it will be to come back with an explanation that is perceived as credible.
– It may also be that she knows that when she first starts to explain herself, she opens a door she cannot close again. Every detail will be scrutinized, she added.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s name is mentioned several hundred times in the Epstein material, released on Friday 30 January. Video: Dagbladet TV/NTB
At the same time, Sigrid Hvidsten pointed out that she understood that a possible statement would not come until the trial against her son is finished.
– I think it is more important that she can concentrate on coming up with a proper explanation than that it happens immediately. We must remember that she is not accused of having done anything criminal, this is about trust and judgement. Then I think we can take some human and health considerations into account.
On Friday last week, Dagbladet was in contact with the Palace, where we asked questions about the crown princess’s whereabouts, about when she will make a statement about the contact with Epstein and whether she will wait until after her son’s trial.
Sara
Swan marsh
Press contact
The castle
– The Crown Princess herself wants to tell about what happened and explain herself in more detail. The Crown Princess is in a very demanding situation. She hopes for understanding that she needs time, said the Palace’s press contact Sara Svanemyr.
