OSLO: Norway&#39;s Crown Princess Mette-Marit said she was &quot;manipulated&quot; by convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in an interview broadcast Friday in which she sought to explain their close relationship.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">A commoner who married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, Mette-Marit&#39;s name appears in new Epstein documents released by the US Department of Justice earlier this year.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">The files revealed an unexpectedly close friendship between the pair and raised questions in Norway about whether Mette-Marit can become queen.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;Of course I wish I had never met him,&quot; she told public broadcaster NRK during the roughly 20-minute interview.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;It is extremely important for me to acknowledge that I did not look into his past more carefully, and also to acknowledge that I was manipulated and deceived to such an extent,&quot; she said.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">She also sought to squash speculation about the nature of her relationship to Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution and died in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">&quot;It was a friendly relationship: above all, he was a friend to me. But if your question is whether the relationship had another nature, the answer is no,&quot; she said.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Mette-Marit has previously said that she deeply regretted her relationship with the disgraced financier.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">The revelations about Epstein have damaged her reputation, at a time when she is dealing with a trial of her 29-year-old son from a relationship before she married the crown prince.<p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1em 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: 2; letter-spacing: normal; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Marius Borg Hoiby faces 38 charges, including raping four women and assaulting ex-girlfriends, and faces up to 16 years in prison.

Mette Marit Crown princess of Norway (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Europe

A commoner who married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, Mette-Marit's name appears in new Epstein documents released by the US Department of Justice earlier this year.

Norway crown princess says 'manipulated' by Epstein

MILAN: Norway qualified for their first World Cup since 1998 after Erling Haaland struck again in a 4-1 thumping of Italy on Sunday which sealed a spot in next summer&#39;s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. &nbsp;Haaland scored the decisive brace in the space of seconds at a soaking San Siro for Norway, who completed Group I with a perfect 24 points from their eight qualifying matches.&nbsp;Norway would have had to lose by nine goals or more in order to be overtaken by Italy for the group&#39;s only automatic place for next summer&#39;s finals in North America, but Stale Solbakken&#39;s side ended their campaign in glorious fashion in front of 70,000 people.&nbsp;However, Solbakken was coy as to his powerful team&#39;s chances now that a 28-year weight has come to an end.&nbsp;&quot;Let&#39;s see the draw first... I haven&#39;t even thought about it. For me, it (tonight) was to go from 99 percent to 100 percent and now we have done it in a great way,&quot; Solbakken told reporters.&nbsp;&quot;Let&#39;s see what the draw brings before we go into those questions.&quot;&nbsp;Haaland&#39;s father Alf-Inge was still an international player when Norway last competed in the World Cup 27 years ago, a tournament won by a Zinedine Zidane-inspired France.&nbsp;And the Manchester City striker, called a &quot;goal machine&quot; by Solbakken, will be one of the players to watch in North America after smashing in 16 goals during qualifying.&nbsp;The 25-year-old is averaging more than a goal a game for club and country this season and was typically ruthless when presented with his opportunities to both put Norway ahead and then double their lead in the 78th and 79th minutes.&nbsp;&nbsp;Norway sink Italy&nbsp;Pio Esposito opened the scoring for Italy in the 11th minute, but once Antonio Nusa levelled with a thumping strike in the 63rd minute, there was only one team who looked like winning, and Jorgen Strand Larsen&#39;s brilliant individual goal completed the rout in stoppage time.&nbsp;Italy will head to the play-offs in March after finishing the group six points behind Norway following two bracing defeats to Solbakken&#39;s team, and exited the San Siro field to a hail of whistles from the few home fans who had stayed until the end.&nbsp;Coach Gennaro Gattuso apologised to supporters during his short interview with public broadcaster RAI and was clearly concerned about the second half collapse.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s worrying, I&#39;d be a liar to say that it doesn&#39;t concern me, because when you have nights like this it&#39;s much easier if you can stay together, improve the day to day,&quot; said Gattuso.&nbsp;&quot;What worries me is that we&#39;ll next see each other in three months&#39; time.&quot;&nbsp;Italy&#39;s bid for direct qualification was compromised from their opening match against Norway, a 3-0 defeat which ended Luciano Spalletti&#39;s reign as coach.&nbsp;Since Gattuso took over, the Azzurri have performed better but there is no-one in their team of the class of Haaland, a shame for a country which has produced some of the game&#39;s best-ever players.&nbsp;Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups thanks to humiliating defeats in the play-offs to Sweden and North Macedonia, the latter coming less than a year after being crowned European champions in 2021.

Football

Erling Haaland’s late brace sealed Norway’s 4–1 win over Italy, earning their first World Cup berth since 1998. Italy, collapsing after leveling, face play-offs amid mounting concerns over their form.

Articles tagged with "NORWAY"

Norway crown princess says 'manipulated' by Epstein

Haaland leads Norway past Italy to reach first World Cup since 1998