OSLO, Norway (AP) — Norway’s crown princess apologized on Friday for the situation she has put the royal family in as she faces scrutiny over her contacts with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, part of a broader apology for all those that has “disappointed.”
Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s communications and contacts with Epstein have put her in the spotlight over the past week, adding to the embarrassment to the royals just as her son went on trial in Oslo for multiple offences including charges of rape.
The Epstein files contained several hundred mentions of the crown princess, who said in 2019 that she regretted having had contact with Epstein, Norwegian media reported.
The documents, which include email exchanges, showed that Mette-Marit borrowed an Epstein-owned property in Palm Beach, Florida, for several days in 2013. Broadcaster NRK reported that the stay was arranged through a mutual friend, which was later confirmed by the royal household.
The royal palace said Friday that Mette-Marit wants to talk about what happened and explain herself in more detail, but is unable to at present. It added that she is in a very difficult situation and “hopes for understanding that she needs time to gather her thoughts.”
It also issued a statement from the crown princess — her second in a week — in which she reiterated her deep regret for her past friendship with Epstein.
“It is important for me to apologize to all of you whom I have disappointed,” she said. “Some of the content of the messages between Epstein and me does not represent the person I want to be. I also apologize for the situation I have put the Royal Family in, especially the King and Queen.”
King Harald, 88, and the royals are generally popular in Norway, but the case against Mette-Marit's son, Marius Borg Høiby, has been a problem for the family’s image since 2024 and the latest Epstein files have compounded that. Mette-Marit is married to Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the throne.
The release of documents included an email from Mette-Marit to Epstein in November 2012 asking: “Is it inappropriate for a mother to suggest two naked women carrying a surfboard for my I5-year-old son's wallpaper?”
He replied, “Let them decide,” and advised that the mother should, “Stay out of it.”
Mette-Marit, 52, said in a statement issued shortly after the files were released that she “must take responsibility for not having investigated Epstein’s background more thoroughly, and for not realizing sooner what kind of person he was.” She added: “I showed poor judgment and regret having had any contact with Epstein at all. It is simply embarrassing.”
The crown princess isn't the only high-profile Norwegian who faces unflattering attention stemming from the documents on millionaire financier and sex offender Epstein released by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Norwegian Economic Crime Investigation Service, a mixed unit of police and prosecutors, said Thursday that it would look into whether gifts, travel or loans were received by former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland in connection with his positions.
Jagland was Norway’s prime minister between 1996 and 1997. He also has chaired the Norwegian Nobel Committee and was secretary general of the Council of Europey.
The files revealed years of contact between the politician and Epstein. Emails indicate that he made plans to visit Epstein’s island with his family in 2014, when he was chairman of the Nobel committee, with an Epstein assistant organizing the flights.
Norwegian authorities are also looking to lift Jagland’s immunity, which he enjoys because of his past as a diplomat. His legal representative told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that Jagland is cooperating with the investigation.
The World Economic Forum also announced on Thursday that it was opening an internal review into its CEO Børge Brende to determine his relationship with Epstein, after the files indicated the two had dined together several times and exchanged messages. Brende was Norway’s foreign minister from 2013-2017.
He told NRK that he is cooperating with the investigation, that he only met Epstein in business settings and he had been unaware of Epstein’s criminal background.
Epstein killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges that he sexually abused underage girls at his homes in the U.S.
FILE - From left, Norway's Princess Ingrid Alexandra, left, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit on their way to a gala dinner at the Palace in Oslo, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB via AP, File)
FILE -Council of Europe Secretary-General Thorbjorn Jagland speaks at the Russian International Affairs Council in Moscow on March 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel, File)
MILAN (AP) — Madison Chock and Evan Bates set the tone for the powerful U.S. Figure Skating team at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Friday with a rocking, high-energy rhythm dance set to music by Lenny Kravitz to open the team figure skating competition.
Alysa Liu made sure the defending champion Americans would maintain their lead going into Day 2 of the event.
Chock and Bates scored a world-leading 91.06 points to open the three-day competition, where the U.S. is the defending champ, before a packed crowd at the Milano Ice Skating Arena that included U.S. Vice President JD Vance, his family and other dignitaries.
Pairs skaters Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea finished solidly in the middle of the pack in their short program for the U.S., while Liu was second to Japan's Kaori Sakamoto in the women's short program, leaving the Americans with 25 points.
Japan was second with 23 and host-nation Italy third with 22 going into the men's short program Saturday. After that, the competition is whittled from 10 teams to the top five, with those five also performing their free dance later in the day.
The men's, women's and pairs free skates will ultimately decide the medals Sunday.
“We definitely skated great and we’re very happy, as you saw when we finished. I think we both felt the excitement of just getting these Olympics underway,” said Bates, who along with Chock were part of the gold medal-winning team at the 2022 Winter Games.
Yet Chock and Bates, the three-time world ice dance champions, never received their medals in Beijing, thanks to an investigation into Russian doping. In fact, Chock and Bates wouldn't get them until two years later at the Summer Olympics in Paris.
So there is a little added motivation for the Americans to win a second consecutive team title.
“I think we have the best generation of figure skaters within the U.S. right now,” O'Shea said. “Amazing people helping each other, supporting each other, and Maddy and Evan leading the charge, being the experienced group who are so helpful to everybody.”
Chock and Bates, fresh off their record seventh U.S. title, also are favored to win the individual ice dance event later in the Winter Games. But they got a taste of how challenging that could be from the new French duo of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron — the latter the defending Olympic champion with his former partner, Gabriella Papadakis.
Just before Chock and Bates took the ice, Beaudry and Cizeron had posted their own world-best score of 89.98 points.
“I think our goal was to really keep building,” Cizeron said. “I think we’ve been improving at each competition and adding to our score, obviously, but getting more precise with our technical elements and having more fun, enjoying the performance, and giving 100%. So I think we’re kind of still climbing that ramp a little bit.”
Chock and Bates gave the U.S. a big lead over the Japanese after struggles by their ice dancers, but the pairs duo of world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara got the reigning silver medalists back in the mix by winning their portion of the competition.
Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava were second in pairs for Georgia with Italy's Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii third.
Kam and O'Shea were fifth in the pairs short program, but that was good enough to keep the Americans in the lead.
“You could hear it when we landed our side-by-side jump set. It was so loud, I literally couldn’t hear anything,” Kam said. “I couldn’t hear our music for a second. I was like, ‘Oh, OK. Lock in. We need to do the rest of this program.’”
Perhaps fittingly, the last two women on the ice Friday represented the favored American and Japanese teams.
They also happened to be the last two world champions.
The 20-year-old Liu, back at the Olympics after a brief retirement, was clean on all three of her jumping passes, including her finishing triple lutz-triple loop. She wound up with 74.90 points for her program, set to “Promise” by Icelandic-Chinese artist Laufey.
She wouldn't wipe the smile off he face afterward.
“I never thought I would be back, honestly,” Liu said. “It's surreal.”
With the Americans poised to take a big lead into Saturday, the 25-year-old Sakamoto delivered with the poise and precision of a veteran. The reigning Olympic bronze medalist also was clean on her jumping passes, including a triple flip-triple toe, and her score of 78.88 points gave the Japanese squad a much-needed 10 points to keep pace with the U.S.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Vice President JD Vance, center, and his wife Usha Vance applaud while Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States compete during the figure skating ice dance team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Britain compete during the figure skating ice dance team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France compete during the figure skating ice dance team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States react to their scores after competing during the figure skating ice dance team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States compete during the figure skating ice dance team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
