THE‘long wave of Epstein scandal doesn’t even spare Scandinavia. After overwhelming the Windsors, the revelations about the late financier accused of sex trafficking reach the House of Bernadotte. At the center of the storm is the Princess Sofia of Swedenwife of Prince Carl Philip, whose name appears in a series of emails exchanged between Epstein and the Swedish businesswoman Barbro Ehnbom. Documents that forced the Royal Court to make a quick and embarrassed confirmation.
Sofia of Sweden and Jeffrey Epstein: why are they talking about it now?
The scandal exploded suddenly due to a coincidence of revelations. It all started on Tuesday 9 December, when the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter published the offending email exchangebringing to light the contacts between the Princess and the financier. But the context is global: on Friday, Democrats on the US House Oversight Committee have released around ninety new unpublished photos taken from Epstein’s archive, which portray him with powerful people of the caliber of Donald Trump and Bill Clinton. A climate of renewed media attention which has made the position of the Swedish monarchy even more delicate.
Sofia of Sweden with her husband, Prince Carl Philip (Photo by Michael Campanella/Getty Images)
«It’s the girl I told you about»
The disputed facts date back to 2005, ten years before the former model and reality star married the king’s son. At the time, Sofia Hellqvist was a twenty-year-old who had just arrived in New York in search of fortune. It was Barbro Ehnbom who introduced her into Epstein’s circlea figure known for supporting young women in business.
In an email dated December 2005, the businesswoman wrote to Epstein attaching a photo of Sofia: «This is Sofia, an aspiring actress who has just arrived in New York. It’s the girl I told you about before leaving and who I thought you would like to meet». The proposal ended with a request to meet: “Maybe we can visit you before you go on holiday?”.
Sofia of Sweden invited to the Caribbean by Epstein: the replica of the Palace
Epstein’s response was not long in coming and was a direct invitation to what is now known as the island of horrors, Little Saint James: «I’m in the Caribbean. Do you want to come for a couple of days? I’ll send you a card».
Faced with the publication of these exchanges, the Swedish Royal Court could not remain silent. The Palace confirmed that the princess «was presented to the person in question on a few occasions around 2005», specifying however that the invitation to the Caribbean was rejected. The official note strongly underlines that “the princess has had no contact with Epstein for 20 years” and categorically denies that the financier helped Sofia obtain visas or acting courses.
The suspicious absence at the Nobel Prizes
The timing of the scoop was merciless. The news exploded just as the royal family was preparing to attend the prestigious Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm. Sofia didn’t show up for the eveningleaving her husband Carlo Filippo alone with his parents and sisters, further fueling the media hype.
Sofia of Sweden at the 2024 Nobel Prize ceremony (Photo by David NIVIERE/ABACAPRESS.COM)
For the princess, who has struggled for years to be accepted by her subjects and clean up her image from the risqué photos of the past (the one with the boa constrictor is famous), this is a hard blow. In a 2018 interview he recounted the pain of the bullying he suffered: «I was greeted by a huge storm of hate». Today, that past returns to knock on the door of the Royal Palace, bringing with it the disturbing shadow of Jeffrey Epstein.
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