The recent publication of the more than three million files related to billionaire and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has shaken Norwegian institutions, which have been hit by scandal after personalities from the Royal Family, the Nobel Committee and the Foreign Ministry appeared in the documents.
The crown princess of NorwayMette-Marit, maintained a close friendship for several years with Epstein, visiting him at his luxury residence in Palm Beach, Florida, for four days in early 2013 and even giving him advice on “looking for a wife.”
The Royal House already apologized in 2019 for the contacts between Epstein and the crown princess, alluding to the fact that it was not aware of her past and that Communications between the two were interrupted in 2013in part because the American magnate was “trying to take advantage” of that relationship.
However, Mette-Marit admitted in an email sent to the convicted criminal – recently released following the publication of the files by the US Department of Justice – that she had searched him on Google to find out about the case.
The distribution of emails makes it clear that the relationship between the two was close, since the crown princess told him secrets about her family, made book recommendations, and they congratulated each other on their birthdays and talked about their health problems, including their smoking. Epstein recommended a dentist for teeth whitening.
In one of the messages, Mette-Marit asks Epstein if it is appropriate to suggest “two naked women carrying a surfboard” as wallpaper for her son. “Let him decide. A mother should stay out of it,” he replied. In another conversation with the convicted sex offender, the crown princess assures that “Paris is a good place for infidelity.”
Statement from the Royal House after the new publications
After the release of the more than three million files last Friday, Mette-Marit indicated in a statement that he “demonstrated a lack of judgment” and that he must “take responsibility for not having investigated his background better and for not having understood quickly enough what kind of person he was.” Epstein was convicted in 2008 of prostitution of minors.
The Royal Family has recently rectified and specified that the last written contact between the two took place in 2014. The scandal also occurs a few days before the start of the trial against his son Marius Borg Hoibywho will sit in the dock this Wednesday after being accused of 38 charges, including four rapes and sexist violence against his ex-partner, Nora Hakland.
The King of Norway, Harald V, expressed solidarity with those affected last December. The investigation against the eldest son of the crown princess began after an incident at his ex-girlfriend’s apartment in the capital, Oslo, for which he was initially arrested and accused of injuries, damages and threats.
Norwegian politicians and personalities
The name of former Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland, current member of the Labor Party and who at that time was Secretary General of the Council of Europe, as well as president of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
“I’ve been to Tirana (Albania). Extraordinary girls. I’m going to Jordan, Palestine and Israel. I’ll be back on Thursday,” reads an email dated May 25, 2012 and sent to Epstein by Jagland, who even planned to visit the tycoon’s island with his family.
The documents also reveal conversations between both personalities about loans for the purchase of homes and other private messages. Jagland has previously argued that His contacts with Epstein were part of “normal diplomatic activity”.
Sources from the Council of Europe have confirmed to the newspaper ‘Verdens Gang’ that Epstein visited Jagland’s residence in Strasbourg at least twice, and that he stayed at the magnate’s homes in Paris and New York on several occasions.
Borge Brende, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and current president of the World Economic Forum since 2017 he also appears in the documents, where he exchanges messages and emails with Epstein in a friendly tone. The documents also show that they remained in contact until shortly before Epstein was arrested in 2019.
The former Foreign Minister had dinner with the influential billionaire in his New York apartment in September 2018, although he has recently stated that he was unaware of his criminal past and that he regrets not investigating it more thoroughly, like Mette-Marit.
Other names also appear in the files, such as that of former minister Terje Rod-Larsen – who admitted to having had a financial relationship with Epstein – and his wife, Mona Juul, who was Norway’s ambassador to the United Nations. The messages also mention the vice president of the Nobel Committee, Asle Toje.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store has urged those involved in the Epstein papers to “reveal the truth about what happened.” “Those mentioned should provide good answers,” he said over the weekend in statements to the press.
