Swedish Palace Confirms Princess Sofia Met Jeffrey Epstein Multiple Times as She Quietly Skips Nobel Prize Ceremony
The news comes weeks after King Charles stripped his brother Andrew of his royal titles and honors due to his connections to Epstein
By
Stephanie Petit
Published on December 10, 2025 01:44PM EST
Princess Sofia of Sweden; Jeffrey Epstein.Credit :
Michael Campanella/Getty; Neil Rasmus/Patrick McMullan via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- The Swedish Royal Court confirmed that Princess Sofia met Jeffrey Epstein after an outlet published emails connecting them
- Although the palace said she was introduced to Epstein around 2005, she hasn't had contact with him in 20 years
- Sofia, a former reality TV star and model, skipped the Nobel Prize ceremony with the Swedish royals one day after the report
The Swedish Royal Court confirmed that
Princess Sofia met Jeffrey Epstein after emails connecting them were revealed.
On Tuesday, Dec. 9, Swedish outlet
Dagens Nyheter published emails between Epstein and financier Barbro Ehnbom, who has been described as a mentor to Sofia and attended her 2015 wedding to Prince Carl Philip, the son of Sweden's
King Carl XVI Gustaf. According to a translation, Ehnbom reportedly wrote in a December 2005 email featuring a photo, "This is Sofia, an aspiring actress who just arrived in New York. She's the girl I told you about before I left, who I thought you might like to meet. Maybe we can visit before you go on holiday?"
Epstein reportedly replied, "I'm in the Caribbean. Does she want to come for a couple of days? I'll send a ticket."
The Swedish Royal Court confirmed to the outlet that Princess Sofia "has been introduced to the person in question on a few occasions around 2005," before Epstein was convicted of soliciting prostitution, including with a minor, in 2008, and later faced federal sex trafficking charges in 2019.
Epstein reportedly replied, "I'm in the Caribbean. Does she want to come for a couple of days? I'll send a ticket."
The Swedish Royal Court confirmed to the outlet that Princess Sofia "has been introduced to the person in question on a few occasions around 2005," before Epstein was convicted of soliciting prostitution, including with a minor, in 2008, and later faced federal sex trafficking charges in 2019.
According to the court, Princess Sofia, now 41, did not accept the invitation to join Epstein in the Caribbean, where he is suspected of committing sexual assaults against multiple girls and women.
"The princess has not had any contact with the person in question for 20 years," the court told Dagens Nyheter.
Princess Sofia attends the Nobel Prize Banquet on Dec. 10, 2024.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty
The outlet also published a 2006 email from Epstein's assistant to Ehnbom: "Jeffrey wonders what really happened with Camilla. Did you tell her she has a ticket to New York anytime she wants?"
Ehnbom replied, "I think he means Sofia, the little beautiful dark-haired girl who had her friend Camilla with her," adding that Epstein offered both women spots at an acting school, but there were issues with their visas.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Swedish Royal Court for comment.
Princess Sofia with her children and Prince Carl Philip on June 13, 2025.
Iwi Onodera/WireImage
Before marrying into the Swedish royal family and welcoming four children with Prince Carl Philip, Sofia Hellqvist stepped into the public eye as a model. Her racy photo shoot
for Swedish magazine Slitz, for which she wore just a bikini bottom and a boa constrictor, landed her a spot on the reality show
Paradise Hotel.
In 2010, the Swedish Royal Court confirmed that Prince Carl Philip and Sofia were dating, an announcement that made her the target of online harassment. Princess Sofia explained in a 2018 interview with Sweden’s
TV4, "I was met with an enormous hate storm from people who had opinions about me as a person, about my relationship. I was surprised, and it definitely affected me. I didn’t understand that people had such need to express how badly they felt about me. It was very tough."
The royal couple turned her negative experience into a force for good, using the Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia Foundation to combat hate speech and online bullying.
Prince Carl Philip and Princess Madeleine at the Nobel Prize Awards ceremony on Dec. 10, 2025.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty
The news of Princess Sofia's ties to Epstein came as the Swedish royal family stepped out for a staple on their annual calendar: the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm. Although Princess Sofia has regularly attended the event, including last year while pregnant with daughter
Princess Ines, she was absent on Dec. 10. Prince Carl Philip, 46, attended with his parents and two sisters, Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine.
King Carl Gustaf, Prince Daniel, Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria at the Nobel Prize ceremony on Dec. 10, 2025.
Henrik Montgomery/TT / TT News Agency / AFP via Getty
Princess Sofia is not the first royal to be connected to Epstein, who died in prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in 2019. In October,
King Charlesannounced that he was
stripping his brother, the former
Prince Andrew, of his royal titles and honors amid renewed interest in his ties to Epstein.
Andrew
stepped back from his public royal role in 2019 following his
BBC interview in which he discussed his relationship with Epstein. Queen Elizabeth stripped her son of his
military titles and patronages in early 2022 after a judge rejected Andrew's attempt to have Virginia Giuffre’s
sexual assault lawsuit against him dismissed. He later settled with Giuffre out of court for an undisclosed sum.
The former Prince Andrew; Jeffrey Epstein.
Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty
Andrew continued to join the royals at family events, but there was renewed scrutiny of the former prince in recent months. Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, claimed in a memoir published posthumously that Andrew “believed having sex with me was his birthright,” describing three occasions Epstein allegedly arranged for her to meet him beginning at age 17.
In addition,
recently leaked emails showed that Andrew was in touch with Epstein after he had claimed to end contact.
Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
https://people.com/swedish-court-confirms-princess-sofia-met-jeffrey-epstein-multiple-times-11866072
