The Norwegian Crown Princess has been embroiled in another scandal after newly released documents suggest she had extensive contact with the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, according to The Guardian.

The latest batch of documents, known as the "Epstein files," released by the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday, reportedly contains nearly 1000 references to Crown Princess Mette-Marit.

The documents include dozens of emails exchanged between the two, suggesting they were in contact from 2011 to 2014, according to the Norwegian newspaper VG. Mette-Marit married the then-Prince Haakon in 2001.

The revelations come at a sensitive time for the royal family. A trial is scheduled to begin on Tuesday for Mette-Marit's son, Marius Borg Høiby, who is accused of rape. He was born from her relationship before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon.

Høiby faces 38 charges, including the alleged rape of four women, as well as charges of assault and drug offenses. If convicted, he could face up to 16 years in prison. He denies the most serious charges, including sexual abuse.

On Saturday, Mette-Marit addressed her relationship with Epstein, who committed suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex crimes against minors.

"I exercised poor judgment and deeply regret that I had any contact with Epstein. It is simply embarrassing," she said in a statement released by the royal palace.

Norwegian media focused on the weekend on the number of emails the princess exchanged with Epstein, even years after he pleaded guilty to charges that included arranging prostitution for a minor in Florida.

The emails contained in the documents suggest a close relationship. In one message, Mette-Marit wrote to Epstein that he "tickles my brain," while in others, she described him as "kind" and "such a darling."

In 2012, she wrote to him that he was "very charming" and asked if it was "inappropriate for a mother to suggest two naked women carrying surfboards as wallpaper for a fifteen-year-old son."

Weeks earlier, they had exchanged emails about Epstein's "search for a wife" in Paris. She responded that the French capital was "good for adultery" and added that "Scandinavians are better marriage material."

In another email, she thanked him for sending flowers when she was feeling unwell, and signed off with "Love, Mm."

The messages often mentioned plans for in-person meetings, and the documents also suggest that she spent four days at his home in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2013 when Epstein was not present.

The inclusion of her name in the documents does not automatically imply illegal activity.

In her Saturday statement, Mette-Marit (52) expressed "deep sympathy and solidarity" with Epstein's victims and said she takes responsibility for not having "sufficiently investigated Epstein's past and not understanding quickly enough what kind of person he was."

However, the documents also include an email from 2011 in which Mette-Marit wrote to Epstein that she had "Googled" him and added that "it didn't look very good," accompanied by a smiling emoticon. The email did not specify what she had found during her search, according to The Guardian.

The Royal Palace stated that Mette-Marit ended all written communication with Epstein in 2014 because she felt that he was "trying to exploit his relationship with the Crown Princess as leverage against other people." At a time when a seven-week trial involving her son is set to begin in Oslo, the royal couple is not expected to attend. Haakon told reporters that Mette-Marit would be on a private trip during that time. Høiby does not hold a royal title and is not in the line of succession. The Norwegian Royal Court commented on the case earlier this year, stating: "It is up to the courts to assess and decide on this matter. We have no further comment."