Revelations from recently unsealed U.S. court documents detailing associations with the late Jeffrey Epstein are fueling public debate in Norway over the future role of Crown Princess Mette-Marit. The documents,released friday,show the crown Princess was mentioned hundreds of times,prompting scrutiny of prior statements made by the Royal House regarding the nature of her connections. A new poll indicates a meaningful portion of the Norwegian public now questions her suitability to become Queen, with nearly 46% responding negatively to the prospect.
Recent revelations regarding Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway’s connections to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have sparked public debate and raised questions about the future of the Norwegian monarchy. The disclosures come after the release of court documents detailing Epstein’s associates.
The Norwegian Crown Princess is mentioned hundreds of times in the Epstein documents, which were released by the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday evening.
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A new poll conducted by InFact for Nettavisen shows that 45.6 percent of respondents believe Mette-Marit is not suitable to become Norway’s queen. In comparison, 29.9 percent believe she is fit for the role.
The numbers indicate that significantly more people hold a negative view of the Crown Princess’s suitability than a positive one. This comes as the Norwegian royal family faces increased scrutiny over the connections.
Nettavisen’s royal expert Tove Taalesen said she is not surprised by the poll results.
A Serious Breach of Trust
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The figures showing that Crown Princess Mette-Marit is not considered suitable to become queen represent a harsh judgment, according to Taalesen.
“But this didn’t come out of nowhere. This is an expression of a serious breach of trust, not just criticism,” Taalesen said.
The breach of trust stems from the Crown Princess withholding information in 2019, and the Royal House having to correct previous information regarding timelines this weekend, Taalesen explained.
Taalesen also reacted to what she described as “poor judgment” in maintaining contact with a businessman who had been convicted of sexual abuse.
Expert: Crown Princess Must Rebuild Trust
At the same time, she emphasized that Mette-Marit has held the role of Crown Princess for nearly three decades, and many still have a close relationship with her.
“She has been Crown Princess for a long time, and many are fond of her. Therefore, this is sad for the royal house, and yes – also sad for Mette-Marit. Polls are a temperature reading,” she said.
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According to Taalesen, trust is something that must be built and maintained over time.
“Trust is perishable. When it weakens over time, it must be rebuilt with action, not with the hope that the storm will pass on its own.”
However, she believes the situation is not hopeless.
“I think anything is possible. It’s about being transparent. Explaining, presenting everything and being honest. Mette-Marit still has a lot of sympathy from many Norwegians, we must not forget that,” Taalesen said.
Expert: Must Be Interpreted with Caution
Historian and royal commentator for TV 2, Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen, told Nettavisen that it is important to remember that these surveys are being conducted while the trial against Høiby is still ongoing.
“It’s like trying to find the cause of a fire while it’s still burning. We must wait until this has calmed down and the royal house has issued its statement, before we can know how much this has actually affected the monarchy,” Schulstad Hansen said.
He added that the Crown Princess has not committed any criminal act, but has shown poor judgment.
“It should also be pointed out that the contact was actually broken at one point, so the judgment exists somewhere, but it came a little late,” the royal commentator said.
Skepticism Most Pronounced Among the Young
The poll shows that less than one in three believe Crown Princess Mette-Marit is suitable for the role of queen, which collectively gives a clear negative impression in the population.
At the same time, nearly one in four answered “don’t know,” which may indicate significant uncertainty.
It is an important caveat that the question concerns suitability, not sympathy or support for the monarchy as such. The results should therefore be understood as an assessment of role understanding and trust, said analysis chief Vegard Jarness at InFact.
The poll also shows clear age differences. Skepticism towards Mette-Marit is greatest among young adults, who to a much greater extent than older age groups take an actively negative stance.
Read also: Rallying Support for Mette-Marit
Nettavisen contacted the Royal House for comment on the recent poll, where they responded briefly:
“Thank you for your inquiry. We do not usually comment on polls.”
