The Norwegian Queen Mette-Marit represents an awkward reunion with the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg Harald V‘s funeral after calling her wedding to the Grand Duke “deadly boring” in an email Jeffrey Epstein.
Mette-Marit, 53, became the country’s queen when her husband, Haakon VIII, ascended the throne following the death of his father on August 28 at the age of 89.
Royal houses from around the world arrived in Oslo last night ahead of the late monarch’s state funeral, at which the Prince of Wales was expected to attend King Charles III Today.
Among those who will attend today’s moving service at Oslo Cathedral are Grand Duke Guillaume and his wife, Grand Duchess Stephanie, who will meet Mette-Marit for the first time since it emerged that she criticized their marriage in 2012.
In an email dated October 21, 2012, Mette-Marit, who was under intense scrutiny for her friendship with the pedophile financier, wrote: ‘Boring wedding. It looked like some kind of old movie. Where you know the characters won’t hang around for long[er].’
The email was sent from a redacted address under the name ‘HRH Crown Princesses’ after Mette-Marit and Haakon joined Harald, Queen Sonja and several European royals for the two-day wedding of the Grand Duke and Duchess on October 19 and 20, 2012.
Haakon’s wife had to apologize earlier this year when it became known that she exchanged dozens of emails with ‘sweetheart’ Epstein, despite his conviction for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.
After the extent of her friendship with Epstein was revealed, Mette-Marit issued a groveling apology, saying the emails “do not represent the person I want to be.”
Norway’s Queen Mette-Marit faces an awkward reunion with Luxembourg’s Grand Duchess at Harald V’s funeral after calling her marriage to the Grand Duke ‘deadly boring’ in an email to Jeffrey Epstein
Among those who will attend today’s moving service at Oslo Cathedral are Grand Duke Guillaume and his wife, Grand Duchess Stephanie, who will meet Mette-Marit for the first time since it emerged that she criticized their marriage in 2012.
Harald stood behind his daughter-in-law at the time as he reiterated “we must remember that the Crown Princess has done nothing illegal” and that she deserved “credit” for ending their friendship “very early.”
Ahead of the late king’s funeral today, VIPs, dignitaries and royals from around the world gathered in the Norwegian capital to pay their respects to Harald V.
Haakon was photographed outside Oslo Cathedral last night after attending a rehearsal with his mother Queen Sonja, daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra and son Prince Sverre Magnus.
Mette-Marit was not pictured with her family after missing her husband’s swearing-in ceremony due to “complications” following her recent lung transplant in June.
She was also unable to attend the memorial service at her late father-in-law’s church, but joined Haakon in welcoming their royal guests with a private dinner on the eve of Harald’s state funeral.
It is the first time that Haakon and Mette-Marit will receive European monarchs as Norway’s king and queen, when a royal contingent of 42 descended on the Norwegian capital yesterday.
Ahead of today’s service, which takes place at 1pm local time, European royalty were spotted arriving at the five-star Grand Hotel in Oslo.
After landing at Oslo airport on September 8, Spain’s King Felipe and apparently Queen Letizia were photographed getting off a bus before entering the luxury hotel.
The Grand Duchess in the photo on her wedding day
The late Norwegian monarch attended the wedding at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg on October 20, 2012
The Spanish king waved to cameras as he walked along a red carpet to the lobby entrance, wearing a dark gray suit, white shirt and black tie and carrying his own beige duffel bag.
Several royals also arrived at King Felipe’s hotel on Tuesday, as the former Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Princess Alexia of Greece and Carlos Morales Quintana stepped off a bus, while Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko arrived in a Mercedes-Benz.
According to TV 2, many of these high-profile guests opted for shared transportation later that day.
On September 8, a group including Felipe, Letizia, Henri, the Serbian Crown Prince Couple, Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, Princess Alexia and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece all took a bus together to the palace.
King Harald V died on August 28 at the age of 89 and was the oldest reigning sovereign in Europe. He ruled Norway for 35 years.
But despite modernizing his family’s rule over the years, he refused to abdicate, like other aging monarchs.
His son immediately became King Haakon VIII and last week took an oath of allegiance to the Norwegian constitution in parliament.
From left to right: Mette-Marit, Queen Sonja, Princess Maertha Louise of Norway and Haakon VIII on Palace Square to greet the crowds and look at the flowers and tributes laid by mourners in Oslo on August 31, 2026, four days after the death of King Harald V.
Pictured: Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde sit aboard a bus as they arrive at the GA terminal at Oslo Airport in Gardermoen on the day of the funeral of Norway’s King Harald, Norway, September 9, 2026
Pictured: Swedish King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia sit aboard a bus at the GA terminal at Oslo Airport in Gardermoen on the day of the funeral of Norwegian King Harald, Norway, September 9, 2026
Pictured: Spain’s King Felipe waves to cameras as he walks down a red carpet to the entrance of the Grand Hotel in Oslo, wearing a dark gray suit and carrying his own beige duffel bag
Pictured: A portrait of the late King Harald V is displayed in the window of a shop near Oslo Cathedral in Oslo, Norway on September 9, 2026, the day of his state funeral
Today the coffin will be taken in a procession from the Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral, followed by Haakon, other senior Norwegian monarchs, foreign guests and representatives of the Norwegian Parliament and others.
Present are the Dutch King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, Princess Beatrix and Princess Catharina-Amalia, together with Prince William, Princess Anne, the Danish King Frederik, Queen Mary, Crown Prince Christian and Princess Benedkeek.
Other royal guests include Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine and Princess Christina.
The funeral comes at a difficult time for the Norwegian royal family, after Mette-Marit apologized for her friendship with Epstein, who died while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
She said she was misled by the deceased sex offender when she tried to limit the fallout from the scandal.
“I was manipulated and deceived,” Mette-Marit said earlier this year in an emotional interview with public broadcaster NRK.
“Of course I wish I had never met him,” she said of Epstein.
The now queen maintained contact with Epstein from 2011 to 2014 and stayed at his Palm Beach home for four days during a private trip in 2013, according to documents released by the US Department of Justice.
‘He took advantage of the fact that we had a mutual friend and that I am gullible. I like to believe the best in people. But I also chose to end contact with him,” said Mette-Marit.
“I’ve never seen anything illegal,” she told NRK.
Sitting next to her, Mette-Marit’s husband Haakon said he supported his wife during a difficult time and that marriage is for both “the good and the bad days.”
‘Mette is caring, wise and very strong. And that is why I will always have her on the team when something difficult happens,” the Crown Prince said.
After the extent of her friendship with Epstein was revealed, Mette-Marit issued a groveling apology, saying the emails “do not represent the person I want to be.”
King Harald said in response to the scandal: “I found out when you found out,” according to a report by Hello! magazine.
King Harald reiterated that the naming in the Epstein files does not imply guilt or wrongdoing linked to the late financier’s abhorrent crimes, adding: “We must remember that the Crown Princess has done nothing illegal.”
‘Unlike some others in Norway, she disconnected very early. So I think we have to give her credit for that,” he continued.
