The Mette-Marit patronage letter sent by Norway’s Royal Secretariat (Det kongelige sekretariat) is the Palace’s first coordinated attempt to address mounting concern among the organisations where Crown Princess (kronprinsesse) Mette-Marit serves as royal patron. The letter, dated Friday 6 February 2026 and seen by Norwegian media, acknowledges strong reactions to the recent revelations connected to Jeffrey Epstein and asks for understanding as the Crown Princess says she is not able to give a fuller account “right now.”
What the Palace told Mette-Marit’s patronage partners
According to TV 2 and VG, the Royal Secretariat opens by saying the Crown Princess asked that the letter be sent “after what has emerged in recent times” in the Epstein case. It emphasises that patronages matter deeply to her and that she is proud to support the organisations’ work.
The letter also tries to stabilise the Palace’s public line. It reiterates that the Crown Princess says she was not aware of the scope and character of Epstein’s criminal conduct—despite the “Google search” referenced in the debate—and repeats her view that she now sees a need for a more comprehensive explanation, but cannot provide it at this moment.
Why the letter matters for the patronage system
Royal patronage in Norway is designed to provide visibility and status to civil-society organisations, not to create political controversy. In the current crisis, however, patronage has become the pressure point.
Several organisations have publicly said they need clarification about the Epstein-related contact before deciding whether cooperation can continue. In recent days, some have demanded a detailed account from the Palace, while others have chosen to pause activities or signal that internal discussions will take place at upcoming board meetings.
By sending a single letter to patronage partners, the Palace appears to be trying to prevent a domino effect—where every organisation issues its own ultimatum—while buying time for the Crown Princess to respond more fully.
A careful message: empathy, but no new facts
What the letter does not do is provide new detail. It does not add a timeline, explain why earlier public communication differed from what is now visible in released material, or spell out what “not knowing” means in practice for someone in a high-profile constitutional role.
Instead, the Palace’s strategy is largely relational: acknowledging that organisations are reacting strongly, stressing the value Mette-Marit places on the partnerships, and asking for patience.
That approach may reassure some partners—especially those with long-standing cooperation with the Crown Princess—but it may also frustrate organisations that have explicitly asked for documentation and clarity, not a restatement of existing talking points.
