Marrakech – Prominent figures from Norway’s royal family, political establishment and diplomatic corps have been linked to Jeffrey Epstein, deepening a scandal that is now shaking trust in one of the world’s most stable societies.

Among those named in newly released US Department of Justice emails is Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who exchanged more than 100 emails with Epstein and stayed at one of his homes. 

The revelations add to mounting pressure on Norway’s monarchy, already facing intense scrutiny as the crown princess’s eldest son prepares to stand trial on multiple criminal charges.

The documents, published on Friday, also reference senior Norwegian diplomats and former government leaders. 

While elites from several countries, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom, have been implicated in the Epstein case over the years, the number of high-profile Norwegians involved has raised eyebrows in a country of just 5.5 million people.

“This shakes the trust in Norwegian society to its foundations,” said Arild Hermstad, leader of the Green Party, who called for an immediate parliamentary commission to investigate the country’s links to Epstein.

Among those named is Thorbjørn Jagland, Norway’s prime minister during the 1990s, who later chaired the Nobel Peace Prize committee and served for a decade as secretary-general of the Council of Europe. 

According to the released emails, Jagland planned a family holiday on  an island owned by Epstein in 2014, while other members of his family stayed at another Epstein property.

Norway’s current prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, took the rare step of publicly criticising members of both the royal family and the political elite.

“The crown princess herself has stated that she has demonstrated poor judgment, something I agree with,” Støre said. “I also believe that Thorbjørn Jagland has done the same.”

Further revelations have focused on Terje Rød-Larsen and Mona Juul, the married diplomatic couple best known for their role in brokering the Oslo peace accords between Israel and Palestine. 

Recently released documents show their children were among the beneficiaries of Epstein’s will, while earlier disclosures revealed that Rød-Larsen borrowed money from Epstein.

Børge Brende, a former Norwegian foreign minister and now the chief executive of the World Economic Forum, is also named in the emails. He reportedly dined with Epstein in 2018 and 2019, years after Epstein’s first sex convictions.

All of the Norwegian figures mentioned have expressed regret over their associations with the notorious sex offender, maintaining that they were unaware of Epstein’s criminal conduct at the time.

However, scrutiny has been most intense on Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Emails show she continued corresponding with Epstein until 2014.

In one message sent in 2011, she wrote: “Googled u after last email. Agree didn’t look too good :).” The context of the remark remains unclear. Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to solicitation of prostitution involving a minor.

Other emails attributed to the crown princess include personal and provocative language, such as: “Paris good for adultery. Scandis better wife material. But then again who am I to talk?” and, in another message, “Is it inappropriate for a mother to suggest two naked women carrying a surfboard for my 15 yr old sons wallpaper?”

Her eldest son, Marius Borg Høiby, born before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, is due to go on trial in Oslo on Tuesday. He faces 38 charges, including rape and drug offences. 

Høiby has admitted to some minor offences but denies all sexual assault allegations. Norwegian police confirmed on Monday that he had been detained again on new criminal allegations, just hours before the trial was set to begin.

The scandal compounds existing challenges for the royal family. King Harald’s daughter, Princess Märtha Louise, previously stepped back from official duties after marrying a self-described shaman, a relationship later documented in a Netflix production.