When she married her prince, the press across her home country
called her ‘Cinderella’. Now, the royal bride who defied critics to
build a regal fairy tale has found the magic has run out.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway faces her toughest week
yet and the trouble shows no signs of ending or of easing up the
pressure on her whole royal family.

In the past 48 hours, the extent of her friendship with
convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, has become clear as her
name appeared many times in new documents released in the United
States.

Meanwhile, her eldest son, Marius Borg Hoiby, born during a
relationship that took place before she married Crown Prince
Haakon, is about to stand trial on a series of charges including
four counts of rape. Just hours before the case was due to begin,
he was arrested again by police on suspicion of assault, threats
with a knife and violation of a restraining order. He was later
remanded in custody.

Norway’s Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, took the
unprecedented step of commenting on the behaviour of a senior
member of the country’s royal family. He said the Crown Princess
had shown ”poor judgement” in her past contacts with Jeffrey
Epstein.

Then, several organisations associated with the Crown Princess
said they were discussing their links with her. The Norwegian Red
Cross held a special meeting about how to respond to the
revelations about its special patron. Another group, Sex and
Society, which promotes good reproductive health, later said it
didn’t want her to work with it on a major project.

And as a tumultuous day came to an end, one of Norway’s biggest
broadcasters,TV2, ran a poll asking if Mette-Marit should become
Queen of Norway. Almost half of all respondents, 48%, said no.
Those saying yes totalled 29% with 24% still undecided.

It followed questions from constitutional historians about
whether the wife of the heir to the throne could or should one day
be her country’s queen after the revelations of the past days.

One of the most damaging parts of the information now made
public about the friendship between Mette-Marit and Jeffrey Epstein
is that their relationship developed after he was convicted of sex
offences in 2008. The newly released papers show that the Crown
Princess of Norway stayed at Epstein’s Miami home in 2013 for four
nights.

The papers include several emails between the two including one
in which Crown Princess Mette-Marit told Epstein ”you tickle my
brain” and called him ”my crazy friend”. She also asked about the
suitability of wallpaper featuring naked women for her then 15 year
old son, Marius, and asked about life on his island,

There are also other embarrassing revelations including an email
in which she described a royal wedding as boring.

Norway’s royal family has always been popular, in large part due
to King Harald V and his father, King Olav. When Harald, father of
Crown Prince Haakon, celebrated his silver jubilee in 2016, some
opinion polls put his popularity at over 90%. Even now, the royal
family averages 70% in popularity rankings. But the latest
revelations could change everything.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit never had an easy ride into royalty.
Her past was controversial when her relationship with Haakon became
known – she had enjoyed the so called ‘party scene’ in Norway which
included drug use. However, an emotional interview ahead of her
wedding in which she broke down in tears and said sorry changed
everything.

She became nicknamed the ‘Cinderella of Kristiansand’ after her
homeplace and as she adopted popular causes, including support for
people with HIV and promoting literacy, she found a niche in royal
life. She was also a very modern Crown Princess, taking to
Instagram almost as soon as it launched. Her support for Norwegian
fashion and industry gained her more fans. Her diagnosis with
pulmonary fibrosis, in 2018, also led to sympathy.

However, the first cracks in the fairytale appeared in 2024 when
she mysteriously turned up late to the Paris Olympics. While her
husband was cheerleading the nation’s athletes in the City of
Light, Mette-Marit stayed behind for a few days. It later
transpired this was the same time that her son, Marius, was first
under police investigation.

At Christmas 2025, just after her doctors announced she was
being prepared for a lung transplant which may soon be necessary,
she told Norwegian TV that she felt criticism of her as a parent
was unfair.

Following the news about her friendship with Epstein, the Crown
Princess spoke briefly. In a statement issued through the royal
palace on Saturday, Mette-Marit acknowledged the relationship and
admitted that she had exercised “poor judgment”. She said she
regretted having had any contact with Epstein and described the
episode as “embarrassing”, adding that she wished to express her
sympathy for his victims.

However, it has done little to take the heat away from her. As
she prepares to see her eldest child enter court on extremely
serious charges, her own conduct has become an international
talking point. The fairytale has ended for the princess once called
Cinderella.