Queen Mette-Marit apologized to the nation for her links to Jeffrey Epstein
Queen Mette-Marit, the wife of Norway's new King Haakon VIII, attended the funeral on King Harald on Wednesday but travelled by car with the late monarch’s widow, Queen Sonja.
Mette-Marit is recovering from a lung transplant she underwent in June. Last week, she had to cancel plans to attend her husband's oath ceremony in parliament due to complications following her operation.
Her son, Marius Borg Hoiby, from a relationship before her marriage to Haakon, was at the funeral despite being under house arrest and wearing an ankle monitor after his conviction for rape and domestic violence. He is appealing the sentence.
Hoiby was one of the pall-bearers during the transfer of Harald's coffin to the royal chapel, drawing criticism in some quarters in Norway and abroad.
Earlier this year, Mette Marit apologized to the nation for her links to the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstien.
Despite its recent troubles, the monarchy remains broadly popular: 72% of Norwegians support it, while 20% favour a republic or another form of government, a Norstat poll for broadcaster NRK published on September 1 found, the first poll taken since Harald's death.