While the princess has strongly denied knowing about his crimes and expressed regret at having ever been friends with him earlier this year, she has still faced public criticism. King Harald, 89, has now stepped in to defend Mette-Marit, who is currently unwell. Speaking to local media on Thursday at Vestland, the King was asked about Mette-Marit’s friendship with Epstein.

He said: "I found out about it when you found out about it. And I don't know anything more than you know."

As reported by Hello! Magazine, when he was asked about whether he knew how friendly they were, King Harald said: “No, I didn't know that, but we must remember that the Crown Princess has not done anything illegal. And she broke this connection.

“Unlike some others in Norway, she broke the connection very early. So, I think we should give her credit for that."

The Crown Princess was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018 and is currently on the waiting list for a lung transplant.

The Crown Prince previously revealed that her health had “gotten a lot worse lately, unfortunately”.

Speaking about this, the Norwegian King said in his latest interview: "We've heard the doctors say that this is going to happen, but we thought and hoped that this would happen in a while, but not now. But now it's suddenly very relevant.

"She is seriously ill. There is no doubt about that, unfortunately."