Norway's monarchy faces trust crisis after royal scandals

Norway's monarchy is in crisis. The problem is not the crown princess's illness or her son's crimes, but the erosion of public trust after a series of self-inflicted mistakes.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit underwent a successful lung transplant after a sharp decline from pulmonary fibrosis. The news drew sympathy and a rise in organ donor sign-ups. She received a match less than two weeks after joining the list.

Her son, Marius Borg Høiby, was convicted Monday of 34 of 40 charges, including domestic abuse and two counts of rape. He received a four-year prison sentence. His lawyers filed an appeal. The palace offered no comment.

Mette-Marit's past contact with Jeffrey Epstein has also drawn scrutiny. Initial accounts of casual meetings gave way to emails that showed closer ties, including visits to his Palm Beach home and a 2011 message in which she wrote, "Googled u after last email. Agree didn't look too good :)."

In a March interview with public broadcaster NRK, Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon addressed the matter. She said Epstein had manipulated her, that she ended contact in 2014 after realizing he was a "bad guy," and that she had seen him blackmail others. She said she did not know of his sex crimes and only met him with adults. She could not explain the smiley-face email. A poll found 68 percent of respondents found her answers insufficient.

King Harald V said the couple had covered the issue adequately and noted that his daughter-in-law had broken no laws.

Support for the monarchy has fallen. One in three Norwegians now say Harald, 89, should be the country's last monarch. The royal family once cultivated an image of inclusivity and ordinariness. Mette-Marit, a single mother when she married Haakon, had been widely accepted.

Several groups she supported have since cut ties. Online criticism has included unfounded claims that she received her transplant at the expense of others.

A parliamentary proposal to abolish the monarchy received 26 votes this year and 141 against. Two-thirds of Norwegians still back the institution, but its standing is no longer unassailable.

Mette-Marit's recovery will determine whether she can return to public duties. The Epstein questions remain unresolved, and polls in March showed nearly half of respondents viewed her as unfit to become queen.