The Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit regrets having met the condemned because of sexual offenses, now deceased entrepreneur Jeffrey Epstein.
According to the Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv, she is said to have met the entrepreneur several times in the US and in Oslo in 2011 and 2013 - after he had already been convicted and sentenced.
Mette-Marit apologized on request for her behavior: "I should have looked into his past more closely, and I'm sorry I did not," she told the newspaper. "I would never have had anything to do with Epstein if I had been aware of the gravity of his crime," the 46-year-old continues.
She expressed her solidarity with the victims of Epstein: "We all have the duty to combat sexual assault and to support the victims," says in their message.
Epstein was sentenced to 13 months' imprisonment in 2008 after he admitted to paying a minor for sexual services. Most recently, in 2019, he was accused of abusing and forcing dozens of minors into prostitution. In anticipation of the trial, he took his own life in a New York prison in early August.
Coincidentally encountered on vacation on Epstein
The Norwegian Royal Palace confirmed the meetings. Mette-Marit once met Epstein in his apartment and once in Oslo. There were always more guests present. Whether Epstein's residence in New York, Florida or Paris is meant is not clear from the statement.
In 2012, Mette-Marit and her husband happened to come across Epstein while vacationing in St. Barts. "Crown Prince Haakon met Epstein for the first and only time," said a spokeswoman for the palace. In 2013, the princess had broken off all contact with Epstein, also because she had the feeling that he abused her acquaintance for his personal gain.
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The friendship with the multimillionaire and possible complications in the abuse scandal have also brought the British Prince Andrew in distress. After a BBC interview in which Andrew raised more questions than answered, the brother of Charles's successor Charles stepped back from all official duties for the British royal family.
The BBC airs Monday night an interview with a victim from the abuse scandal surrounding the late US businessman Jeffrey Epstein. According to the British broadcaster Virginia Giuffre, the British television broadcaster again accuses the Queen's second oldest son, Prince Andrew, 59.
Giuffre states that she was forced to sex with the prince three times in the years 2001 and 2002 as a 17-year-old. Andrew denies the allegations. The interview is part of a one-hour broadcast of the reportage format Panorama and will be broadcast on BBC One at 10pm (CET).
"I implore the people in the UK to stand up beside me."
Virginia Giuffre says she is trafficked as a teenager and asks the British to "accept this as OK."
The Duke of York emphatically denies any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Giuffre. pic.twitter.com/vnOSI9Znu0