King Harald of Norway has said his daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, deserves 'credit' for ending her friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein 'very early' during an official appearance yesterday. The 89-year-old monarch was speaking to local reporters in Vestland days after his wife, Queen Sonja, 88, was admitted to hospital due to 'heart problems', according to the Norwegian Royal House. King Harald said that while Sonja was 'much better', Crown Prince Haakon's wife Mette-Marit, 52, is 'seriously ill' after she was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. Amid her health battles, Mette-Marit has also faced intense scrutiny following the release of the Epstein Files, which revealed she stayed at Epstein's Palm Beach residence in 2013 - after he was convicted for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14. One email released suggested she was still in contact with the late paedophile financier just months before his death. After the extent of her friendship with Epstein was revealed, Mette-Marit issued a grovelling apology as she said the emails do 'not represent the person I want to be'. Addressing the scandal, King Harald said 'I found out about it when you found out about it', according to a report by Hello! magazine. Reiterating that being named in the Epstein Files does not assume any guilt or wrongdoing connected to the late financier's abhorrent crimes, King Harald added: 'We must remember that the Crown Princess has not done anything illegal.' 'Unlike some others in Norway, she broke the connection very early. So I think we should give her credit for that,' he continued. (From left to right) Norway's King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon at the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony at Oslo City Hall last year King Harald's comments come during an especially trying time for the Norwegian Royal Family, with the Queen Consort being rushed to the National Hospital in Oslo on May 27. At the time, a statement from the Norwegian Royal House read: 'Her Majesty the Queen was admitted to the National Hospital today due to heart problems. 'The Queen has heart fibrillation and heart failure, and has been hospitalised for a few days for examinations and observation.'King Harald - Europe's oldest reigning monarch - confirmed the Queen had been discharged and that her 'form is much better'. Sonja, who has been in and out of the hospital, had a pacemaker fitted during a 'successful' surgical procedure last year after experiencing cardiac fibrillation - a rapid and irregular heartbeat. While Sonja's health is now 'under control', Harald admitted Mette-Marit is 'seriously ill'. She was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. The disease causes scarring on the lungs, making it difficult for the patient to breathe. After his son, Crown Prince Haakon, revealed he was 'worried' about his wife, the Norwegian monarch said: 'We've heard the doctors say this is going to happen, but we thought and hoped that this would happen in a while, but not now. The 89-year-old monarch was speaking to local reporters in Vestland days after his wife, Queen Sonja, 88, was admitted to hospital due to 'heart problems' Crown Princess Mette-Marit was recently pictured with an oxygen tank during Norway's Constitution Day parade (pictured alongside Prince Sverre Magnus, left, and Crown Prince Haakon, right) Pictured: Marius Borg Høiby and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway in Oslo in 2022'But now it's suddenly very relevant. She is seriously ill. There is no doubt about that, unfortunately.' The wife of Crown Prince Haakon was recently pictured with a nasal cannula to aid her breathing when she attended Norway's Constitution Day children's parade recently. While she has restricted her royal engagements over the years to cater for her health needs, the event in Oslo marked one of the first times Mette-Marit has been seen with the assistive breathing device that is attached to an oxygen cylinder. Together with her husband, 52, and son, Prince Sverre Magnus, 20, the family watched the children's parade from their residence, Skaugum in Oslo, Norway.The trio put on a brave face, waving towards cameras with wide grins, amid what has been one of the toughest times for the Norwegian throne in modern times after Mette-Marit's son, Marius Borg Høiby, was charged with rape and sexual assault in June last year.Høiby, stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 on preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage.The charges included four counts of rape, four cases of sexual assault and two cases of bodily harm. The Norwegian court is due to deliver a verdict in Høiby's rape trial on June 15.Challenges intensified when Mette-Marit's friendship with 'sweetheart' Jeffrey Epstein was revealed earlier this year. The files showed frequent communication between Mette-Marit and Epstein that occurred long after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting an underage girl. The crown princess, who apologised to King Harald and Queen Sonja in a February 6 statement, has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing.In a subsequent TV interview, a tearful Mette-Marit said she regrets her friendship with the disgraced financier, whom she described as 'manipulative'.The 52-year-old royal said she had been misled by the late sex offender as she sought to contain the fallout.'I was manipulated and deceived,' Mette-Marit said in an emotional interview with public broadcaster NRK screened on Friday morning.'Of course, I wish I had never met him,' she said of Epstein.The princess, the spouse of Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the throne, maintained contact with Epstein from 2011 to 2014, and stayed at his Palm Beach house for four days during a private trip in 2013, the U.S. files show.'He used the fact that we had a mutual friend, and that I'm gullible. I like to believe the best about people. But I also chose to end contact with him,' Mette-Marit said.'I've never seen anything illegal,' she told NRK.Sitting beside her, Mette-Marit's husband Haakon said he supported his wife at a difficult time and that marriage is both for 'the good days and the bad'. 'Mette is caring, wise and really strong. And that's why I will always have her on the team when something difficult happens,' the crown prince said.