Mette-Marit announced that she currently does not have the strength to explain herself, the royal house said in a written statement on Friday.
"It is important for me to say sorry to everyone I have let down. Parts of the content of the messages between Epstein and me do not represent the person I wish to be," Mette-Marit said in a statement published on the Norwegian royal family's website.
Supports the family
The Crown Princess also regretted the situation she had put the royal family in - "especially the king and queen."
Crown Prince Haakon chose to answer questions from journalists on Friday afternoon. He emphasized that the most important thing for him has been to take care of the "flock" - those closest to him - and referred to the ongoing trial of his stepson, Marius Borg Høiby, who is accused of a series of crimes, including four counts of rape:
"We support Marius in the situation he is in. We take care of the other children - they must also be taken care of - and I must also take care of the Crown Princess," Haakon said, according to NRK, at an event in Oslo to celebrate Sami National Day.
Hope for understanding
The Norwegian royal family states that Mette-Marit wishes to explain herself in more detail at a later stage.
"She can't do that now. The Crown Princess is in a very difficult situation. She hopes for understanding that she needs more time to gather herself," the royal house writes .
The Epstein scandal is breaking out at the same time as Mette-Marit's son, Marius Borg Høiby, is on trial in Oslo for a series of crimes, including four counts of rape.
Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit is mentioned around 1,000 times in the Epstein documents released so far. She is said to have stayed at convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's Florida home with a friend for four days - a place where several of Epstein's previous abuses are said to have taken place.
The Norwegian court has previously confirmed that Mette-Marit met Epstein on several occasions during the period 2011–2013. Epstein was first convicted in 2008 for purchasing sex from a minor.
Jeffrey Epstein took his own life in a New York jail in August 2019, after being arrested just over a month earlier.
