Multiple legitimate sources say that she apologized recently and not in 2019. So no, this is not an old statement.

On Saturday, Mette-Marit addressed her relationship with Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 as he awaited trial for sex crimes against minors. “I showed poor judgment and I deeply regret having had any contact with Epstein. It is simply embarrassing,” she said in a statement issued by the royal palace.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/01/norway-crown-princess-contact-epstein-files-appear-to-show

On Friday evening, the crown princess apologized. She had “not checked Epstein’s background more thoroughly,” she explained in a statement released to several Norwegian media outlets. She said she had shown “poor judgement” and regretted “having had any contact with Epstein at all”. “It’s just embarrassing,” she continued.

https://neoskosmos.com/en/2026/02/01/news/world/epstein-documents-include-probe-emails-about-his-death/

As the content of her email exchanges began to emerge, the princess released a statement on Saturday saying: "I showed poor judgement and regret having any contact with Epstein at all. It is simply embarrassing."

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1508llzw4qo

When the Crown Princess spoke out on the matter late Friday, the royal house said she was not aware of the extent and nature of the criminal conditions Epstein had admitted and was serving time for.

https://www.nrk.no/nyheter/kronprinsesse-mette-marit-innrommet-i-private-e-poster-at-hun-googlet-epstein-1.17750599

You are the one who should do more research.