Feb 8, 2026, 9:15 p.mFeb 8, 2026, 9:16 p.m
Ambassador Mona Juul says her contact with Jeffrey Epstein revealed a “serious lapse in judgment.”Image: keystone
Norwegian Ambassador Mona Juul (66) has resigned from her position due to her involvement in the Epstein scandal. Juul was ambassador to Jordan and Iraq. Her contact with Jeffrey Epstein revealed a “serious failure of her judgment,” Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement. “The case makes it difficult to restore the trust that is necessary for the role.” Juul’s decision is therefore correct.
The Norwegian and her husband, former top diplomat Terje Rød-Larsen, are under pressure after the publication of new documents in the case of sex offender Epstein. The couple’s two children are said to have been given five million dollars each in the American’s will. Epstein is said to have signed this shortly before his death in custody.
Juul had previously stated in Norwegian media that she had met Epstein in a diplomatic context and had minimal contact with him afterwards. She regrets her connection to him very much. Her husband distanced himself from Epstein in 2020 and described his contact with the businessman as a “serious misjudgment”. According to Norwegian media, Rød-Larsen is said to have had a “personal financial relationship” with Epstein.
Several Norwegians in Epstein files
Mona Juul was initially suspended last week following the latest revelations. The Foreign Ministry is now investigating what the ambassador knew about Epstein and how and to what extent she had contact with the American – also to clarify what “further consequences” the case could have for Juul. The Norwegian is currently employed by the Foreign Ministry.
The diplomat and her husband are not the only Norwegians who have been troubled by the publication of the new Epstein files. Crown Princess Mette-Marit, the Norwegian ex-head of government and former Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland and the former Foreign Minister and current head of the World Economic Forum Børge Brende also appear in the documents. (sda/dpa)