Mette-Marit and Epstein: Where It All Began and Where It Ended

Why this article? Media in Finland has not previously had easy access to the Epstein files — now it does. Mette-Marit has been widely covered in the news, but reporting typically lacks clear links to the sources — the original materials from which anyone can assess the nature and significance of the communications. Moreover, much of the coverage has been based on foreign media reports rather than independent research. This article addresses both of these issues by example and gives every reader the opportunity to see what the Epstein files are really about.

Yirah.fi is not turning into a gossip tabloid. Our sole aim is to enable fast and comprehensive research into the Epstein files, whether you are a journalist or an ordinary citizen.

Published 2026 | yirah.fi

One Line on a To-Do List

In May 2011, Jeffrey Epstein wrote a short message to Boris Nikolić, a Croatian-American biologist and scientific adviser to Bill Gates. The message had four items, as to-do lists do. The first one read: "norwegian friend."

Nikolić replied the same day. He knew exactly who Epstein was talking about.

"Mette — would prefer that she meet you with me. She will be in NYV first week in June."

Mette was Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, Crown Princess of Norway. And this one line on Epstein's to-do list was the beginning of a story that spans six years, three continents, and hundreds of FBI documents.

This article tells that story as the records show it.

Bilderberg and the Crown Prince

A month later, on 11 June 2011, British politician Peter Mandelson was sitting at the Bilderberg meeting in St. Moritz and wrote to Epstein:

"St moritz at bilderberg with your friend from norway."

Epstein replied:

"which friend?"

Mandelson:

"Crown prince, didn't you say?"

A brief exchange. But it says a great deal. Epstein's Norwegian connection was known within his international network. And Mandelson was not talking about the Crown Princess. He was talking about the Crown Prince. Haakon.

At this point, the first documented Palm Beach visit was still six months away.

Christmas Eve

On 24 December 2011, Christmas morning Norwegian time, Epstein sent Mette-Marit a holiday greeting from his iPad: "H Xmas." Six minutes later, Mette-Marit replied:

"Jeff Island ?"

Epstein:

"Yes"

Mette-Marit:

"Home / Kafka / Walks / Snow / Kids / Merry x mas / Surf / Soon"

She asked about Epstein's private island, Little Saint James. Epstein confirmed he was there. Mette-Marit described her own Christmas in eight words. The tone is that of two people who know each other. No protocol. No formalities. Christmas and the island.

Palm Beach, the First Time

In January 2012, Mette-Marit travelled to Epstein's Palm Beach residence. The calendar of Lesley Groff, Epstein's personal assistant, records it day by day:

"Princess Mette to the island. today?" — 3 January
"Mette, Princess from Norway, to stay at the PB house along with her security Jan. 6-10." — 7 January
"Myoshin Kelley, Mette's teacher, to arrive the PB house." — same day
"Philippe at the house to cut hair: JE & Princess." — 10 January
"Mette, Princess from Norway, to depart (Will Myoshin go with her?)" — 11 January

Mette-Marit stayed five days. Her security detail was accommodated at a hotel in Palm Beach, not at Epstein's residence. Meditation teacher Myoshin Kelley arrived the same day. Hairdresser Philippe cut Epstein's and the Princess's hair. Boris Nikolić arrived on 10 January.

Finnish media reported extensively on the Palm Beach visit but dated it to January 2013. Groff's calendar shows there were two visits: January 2012 and January 2013. The first has not previously been reported in Finland.

A Year in Between

Throughout 2012, Mette-Marit and Epstein exchanged messages regularly. In October, Mette-Marit asked Epstein: "Coming to Oslo?" In November, she enquired: "How is Island life today?" In December, she tried to call Epstein personally to arrange a second Palm Beach trip.

Epstein, Nikolić, and Mette-Marit planned a three-way meeting over the holiday period:

Epstein: "shooitng for dinner together the 10th in pb"
Nikolić: "Mette — would breakfast work for you? Would LOVE to see you both!"
Mette-Marit: "Boris I leave on the 11th"

The three of them were a network. Epstein, his scientific liaison, and the Crown Princess of Norway.

Palm Beach, the Second Time

In January 2013, Mette-Marit returned to Palm Beach. This time, the documentation is exceptionally detailed.

She coordinated her arrival directly with Groff, provided her flight number, gave her phone number, and arranged the arrival of her meditation teacher Myoshin Kelley. Groff identified the flight: American Airlines #2144, St. Maarten → Miami, arriving at 19:00. Epstein's driver Janusz Banasiak picked her up from the airport. The address: 358 El Brillo Way, Palm Beach, Florida.

The day before her arrival, Mette-Marit wrote Epstein a message that reveals more about the nature of the relationship than any single calendar entry:

"I will make a huge effort to see you as I want you to meet Haakon my husband."

She wanted to introduce her husband to Epstein. That is not protocol. That is personal.

Mentor

On 5 January 2013, the day before Mette-Marit's arrival, Epstein sent her a long message. It is unlike anything else in the material. Epstein wrote about quitting smoking, antidepressants, exercise, a healthy diet, and about how Mette-Marit was "wasting her ability to enjoy learning."

"no old age is for grown ups. immaturity is the mind trying to grow, but being held back by the past. I needlessly preface the following by i would like to be a better friend."

Mette-Marit replied:

"And ps I won't smoke at the house.. Promise .."

This is the moment where Jeffrey Epstein looks the way Jeffrey Epstein wanted to look: mentor, adviser, wise friend. It is also the role that made everything else possible.

What Mette-Marit Refused to Do

On 7 January 2013, on the evening of her second day as a guest, Epstein asked Mette-Marit to call someone he referred to as his goddaughter.

Mette-Marit refused.

"N0000 thats too embarrasing / Im shy like that..."

Epstein asked again:

"please. it is for my god daughter, please"

Mette-Marit relented reluctantly:

"Ok I'll try to muster the courage after the beach"

Later that evening, Epstein wrote:

"she'll be in tonite, again"

Mette-Marit's response was final:

"Jeffrey I will not call her / It makes me feel uncomfortable"

Epstein replied:

"She is 17 she thought it would be great fun. But I never want you to feel odd."

Mette-Marit refused. Repeatedly. She felt uncomfortable and she said so directly. This is significant because it reveals two things at once. It shows that Mette-Marit listened to her own discomfort and acted on it. And it shows that there was a 17-year-old at Epstein's house who was there "again."

"Miss you"

Mette-Marit returned to Norway, but the correspondence continued. In May 2013, she wrote to Epstein:

"Miss you / III be in ny from The 23 of June. U there?"

In June, they met in New York. Epstein sent a photo from the meeting.

In September, Epstein fitted his meeting with Mette-Marit in between his other New York appointments. His day looked like this: scientist at 6:45, Rothschild adviser at 12:30, free at 13:30 — that was when Mette-Marit came.

"scientist at 645, rothschild advisor, 1230, free at 130 you can join, come alone or both"

The following day, Mette-Marit wrote:

"Im stuck in bed / Cant Get out.. S00000 exchausted! / See you later in day?"

She was exhausted but still wanted to meet.

Surgery, Flowers, and "Love Mm"

In November 2013, Mette-Marit underwent cervical spine surgery. Boris Nikolić wrote to Epstein:

"Will keep you posted. I am talking to Hakkon non-stop and he will be with her during a surgery."

Two things in one sentence. Nikolić was reporting Mette-Marit's health to Epstein. And Nikolić was in direct contact with Crown Prince Haakon, during the surgery, "non-stop."

Epstein sent flowers. Nine days later, Mette-Marit thanked him:

"So much for The beautiful flowers... Im finally feeling better..., Love Mm"

Nikolić suggested a recovery trip:

"Lets all of us go to jee's island to recover"

"Jee's island" — Jeffrey's island. Recovery on Epstein's private island. It was a suggestion Nikolić made casually, as if it were normal.

"Hawk"

Years passed. And then, on 6 August 2016, a message arrived in Epstein's inbox from a sender named "Haakon Gundersen":

"Hi Jeff / Thanks for asking! Whatever you like. / Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. / Regards / Hawk"

Epstein replied:

"any thing special for brunch?"

"Haakon Gundersen" is a pseudonym. It appears in Epstein's address book, from the same forensic copies as "H.K.H. Kronprinsessen." "Hawk" is the signature. And the message arranges a meeting for the following day.

Crown Prince Haakon Magnus, the future King of Norway, wrote directly to Jeffrey Epstein, under a pseudonym, to arrange brunch. Three years before Epstein's second arrest and death.

The media has covered Mette-Marit's connection to Epstein extensively. Haakon's direct connection has remained almost entirely outside that reporting.

The Last Mention

On 20 September 2017, Leon Botstein, president of Bard College, wrote to Epstein:

"It was terrific to see you, and your Norwegian friend, with whom I have already been in contact."

"Norwegian friend" — the same term Nikolić used to identify Mette-Marit six years earlier. Botstein met this person together with Epstein and continued contact independently.

In January 2019, six months before Epstein's arrest, someone named "Lana" told Epstein she had become acquainted with the Crown Princess of Norway. Epstein's first reaction:

"did you tell her you know mette"

Even then, with the investigation closing in, Epstein was thinking about Mette and about who knew of the connection.

FBI

On 3 December 2019, four months after Epstein's death, Norwegian VG journalist Runa Fjellanger enquired with the FBI about Mette-Marit. FBI New York's C-20 unit — Crimes Against Children — forwarded the enquiry to its Copenhagen office:

"Do you have any information regarding the inquiry below? The media is asking about Crown Princess Mette-Marit."

FBI Copenhagen:

"A 'tip' came into our Stockholm suboffice. Turned out it was a reporter."

FBI New York:

"not aware of any connection to Norway"

The FBI's unit for investigating the exploitation of children processed the enquiry and stated it was unaware of any connection to Norway. The documents do not reveal whether the matter was investigated any further.

The Full Picture

This is a story that began with one line on a to-do list in May 2011 and ends with an internal FBI exchange in December 2019. Eight years.

During that time, the documents show:

Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Epstein maintained a regular, personal, and informal correspondence. Mette-Marit spent a total of at least ten days at Epstein's Palm Beach residence across two separate visits. She met Epstein in New York on multiple occasions. She wanted to introduce her husband to Epstein. She sent him Christmas greetings, scientific articles, and "Miss you" messages. She signed off with "Love Mm."

Boris Nikolić served as an intermediary from start to finish. He identified the "Norwegian friend" as Mette. He arranged meetings. He reported Mette-Marit's health to Epstein. He was in direct contact with Crown Prince Haakon.

And Haakon. His name surfaces gradually from the documents: first as Mandelson's aside at Bilderberg, then as a pseudonym in the address book, then as Mette-Marit's wish, then in Nikolić's reporting, and finally as a direct email to Epstein, signed "Hawk." It is an arc the media has not told.

The documents do not reveal what Mette-Marit or Haakon knew about Epstein's crimes. They do not reveal why the relationship formed or what it meant. They reveal that it existed, that it was extensive, and that it lasted years.

And they reveal one thing more. When Epstein asked Mette-Marit to call a 17-year-old girl at his house, Mette-Marit refused. She said it made her uncomfortable. She held her boundary.

That is true, and it deserves to be told.

Documents

Below is a timeline of all key documents referenced in this article. Each is linked to the yirah.fi search engine, where the original EFTA document can be verified.

Date	Document	Content
10.5.2011	EFTA00910425	Epstein: "norwegian friend" — Nikolić: "Mette"
11.6.2011	EFTA00629469	Mandelson at Bilderberg: "Crown prince, didn't you say?"
24.12.2011	EFTA02359898	Christmas greeting: "Jeff Island?"
1.2012	EFTA00304778	First Palm Beach visit, 5 days
1.2.2012	EFTA00506628	Address book: "H.K.H. Kronprinsessen" and "Haakon Gundersen"
15.10.2012	EFTA02561614	"Coming to Oslo?"
16.11.2012	EFTA02562946	"How is Island life today?"
12.2012	EFTA02564089	Three-way meeting: Epstein, Nikolić, Mette-Marit
4.1.2013	EFTA00646352	"I want you to meet Haakon my husband"
5.1.2013	EFTA02356248	Epstein's "mentor" message
6.–11.1.2013	EFTA00304786	Second Palm Beach visit, 5 days
7.1.2013	EFTA00952138	17-year-old at the house — Mette-Marit refuses
12.5.2013	EFTA02569193	"Miss you"
9.2013	EFTA02519375	"scientist, rothschild advisor, free at 130"
13.11.2013	EFTA02373909	Nikolić: "I am talking to Hakkon non-stop"
22.11.2013	EFTA02577875	"Beautiful flowers... Love Mm"
6.8.2016	EFTA00645285	"Haakon Gundersen" → Epstein: "Hawk"
20.9.2017	EFTA00688193	Botstein: "your Norwegian friend"
23.1.2019	EFTA01027660	"did you tell her you know mette"
3.12.2019	EFTA00147946	FBI C-20: "not aware of any connection to Norway"

You Can Verify Everything Yourself

All documents referenced in this article are searchable at yirah.fi/epstein. The search engine covers 865,000 EFTA documents and 1.75 million pages of original FBI investigation material. The search is free and requires no login.

Try it: search for Kronprinsessen and you will find 373 separate documents. Search Haakon Gundersen and you will find the pseudonym. Search Myoshin and you will find the meditation teacher. Search norwegian friend and you will find where the story began.

This article is based solely on FBI documents released by the United States Department of Justice. All EFTA references are verifiable from the original sources. Mention in the material does not imply involvement in a crime.