The latest Mette-Marit poll suggests that the crown princess’s interview about her past contact with Jeffrey Epstein has done little to calm public concern in Norway. A survey conducted by Respons Analyse for VG and Aftenposten on Friday found that 47 percent of respondents do not think Mette-Marit should become Norway’s next queen, while nearly 70 percent said her answers about the Epstein case were not good enough.
Why the Mette-Marit poll matters now
The poll was carried out on 20 March 2026, the same day Mette-Marit gave her first major interview about her contact with Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender. The interview had been expected for six weeks, after the Royal Court said she would address the matter in detail.
The figures show that the interview did not close the issue. According to VG, criticism is strongest among younger Norwegians: 57 percent of respondents under 35 said Mette-Marit should not become queen, and 83 percent in that age group said she had not answered sufficiently. Distrust was highest among those aged 18 to 24.
Among older respondents, the picture was somewhat less severe but still negative. People over 65 were more forgiving on the question of her future as queen, yet a majority in that group still said her answers in the NRK interview were insufficient.
Unanswered questions around the Epstein case
The renewed scrutiny comes after months of pressure on the royal household over Mette-Marit’s relationship with Epstein between 2011 and 2014. Norwegian media have reported that the two exchanged nearly 400 messages, and that Mette-Marit also stayed at Epstein’s house in Palm Beach for four days in 2013.
In the interview, Mette-Marit said she did not know Epstein was a sex offender when she was in contact with him. She also said she regretted ever meeting him, acknowledged that she should have checked his background more carefully, and described herself as having been manipulated and misled.
But the interview appears not to have resolved the central issue for many Norwegians: not only what she knew and when, but whether a future queen should have exercised much greater judgment from the start. That helps explain why the debate is no longer only about one interview, but about credibility, responsibility and the long-term standing of the monarchy.
Haakon remains popular despite the pressure on the royal couple
The damage does not appear to extend in the same way to Crown Prince Haakon. A separate poll, conducted by InFact for Nettavisen on the same day, found that nearly 80 percent of respondents believe he would perform very well or quite well as monarch.
That result suggests that the current controversy is affecting the two heirs differently. While Mette-Marit continues to face direct questions about judgment and transparency, Haakon still appears to be seen by much of the public as a stable future king. In practice, this means the scandal surrounding his wife has not, at least for now, seriously undermined his personal standing.
A monarchy under pressure, but not yet a wider collapse
The latest polling points to a monarchy facing a trust problem, especially around Mette-Marit, rather than a complete breakdown in support for the institution. Street interviews cited by VG show that some Norwegians still distinguish between criticism of the crown princess and their broader support for the monarchy.
That distinction may prove important in the coming weeks. If no further convincing answers emerge, the pressure on Mette-Marit is likely to continue. But as long as Haakon retains strong confidence and the institution itself remains broadly rooted in Norwegian public life, the crisis may remain concentrated on one royal figure rather than turning into a full constitutional debate.
