The revelations about Jeffrey Epstein have caused quite a stir in Norway and the United Kingdom. Dark ties between a sexual predator and members of the royal family are shaking up the centuries-old institution. The question “Can this woman still be queen?” resonates not only in the Norwegian daily Aftenpostenbut also throughout the country. The situation became the subject of public debate after the close relationship between Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit and the late Epstein was made public.
Crown Prince Haakon’s wife called Epstein “darling” in hundreds of private emails, joked about “adventures in Paris”, she recalled “nude photographs hanging on the wall of the room” of her son and “people created in a laboratory”. According to a former assistant to Epstein, Princess Mette-Marit was even supposed to send her photos, which Epstein was supposed to use to ease the fear of girls and young women in front of him. While Mette-Marit remains very restrained in the whole case, the Norwegian royal family is under a lot of tension.
A similar situation prevails on the British side, where recent revelations about Epstein have caused an uproar in the royal family. The question of whether the sexual predator can shake the last remnants of European monarchies even after his death remains open.
Epstein infiltrated the Norwegian elite
In the case of Norway, it is not at all improbable. Earlier in the week, Norway’s parliament voted to abolish the monarchy, although the proposal was rejected by a vote of 141 to 26. Such a move is traditional at the start of each legislative period, but never before have Norwegians expressed such strong disapproval of the royal family in polls.
According to a recent poll, only 61% of Norwegians have a favorable opinion of the royal family, down from 72% last year. The possibility that Mette-Marit will soon take the throne causes unpleasant feelings for almost half of the respondents. Only a third of Norwegians would accept her as queen.
Norway has been particularly hard hit by the recent Epstein revelations. In addition to members of the royal family, civilian figures are also subject to investigation. The prosecutor’s office has started a corruption investigation against former Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland. Former foreign minister Børge Brende is under fire for his ties to Epstein during his presidency at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The crisis of the monarchy in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the situation worsened after the publication of compromising photos of the former Prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. King Charles III. moved his younger brother from the luxurious Royal Lodge residence to the much more modest Marsh Farm. Until the new residence is ready, the prince lives in the even smaller Wood Farm, where the staff are said to refuse to serve him.
But the British royal family faces much more serious problems. After the Epstein case, republicans, who have been demanding the abolition of the monarchy for a long time, are becoming active again. Almost 40% of Britons under 25 are now in favor of abolishing it. Even renowned royal experts, such as Stephen Bates from The Guardiandoubt the monarchy’s ability to face today’s challenges. “The royal series, once entertaining, has reached a bitter chapter,” writes Bates.
Possible abolition of the monarchy
Abolishing the monarchy would theoretically be possible, but it would require not only a referendum, but also a parliamentary majority. The king would then have to confirm the end of the kingdom with his signature. Similar processes have already taken place, for example, in Barbados in 2021 or in Greece in 1974. There are seven kingdoms left in Europe: in addition to Norway and the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain.
It should be added to that the Principalities of Monaco and Liechtenstein, the Parliamentary Principality of Andorra, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Vatican. After the Epstein revelations, some of these monarchies are facing serious image problems.
This article comes from the Ringier publishing partner website. The content and data contained in it were taken without editorial intervention.
