Oslo — The son of Norway’s crown princess goes on trial Tuesday on charges including rape, beginning proceedings expected to run for several weeks and that have clouded the royal family’s image.
Marius Borg Høiby, 29, is the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship and the stepson of Crown Prince Haakon. He holds no royal title or official duties.
Høiby was repeatedly arrested during 2024 on various allegations and was indicted in August, but remained free pending trial until police said he was arrested Sunday on new accusations including assault, threats with a knife and violating a restraining order. The Oslo district court on Monday approved detention for up to four weeks, citing a risk of reoffending.
Defense lawyer Petar Sekulic said the arrest followed an alleged “incident” Sunday but declined to provide details. He said Høiby contests the detention and that the defense may appeal once Høiby and the other person involved have given statements to police.
At the opening of trial in Oslo district court, Høiby faces 38 charges: rape, abuse in a close relationship against one former partner, acts of violence against another partner, transporting 3.5 kg of marijuana, making death threats and traffic offenses. Prosecutors say a conviction could carry a sentence of up to 10 years; the trial is scheduled to run until March 19 and the court has said parts of the hearings will be held behind closed doors.
The indictment focuses on four alleged rapes from 2018 through November 2024; alleged violence and threats against a former partner from summer 2022 to fall 2023; two alleged acts of violence against a later partner; and breaches of a restraining order. Høiby’s legal team says he “denies all charges of sexual abuse, as well as the majority of the charges regarding violence.”
King Harald, 88, and other members of the royal family remain broadly popular in Norway, but the case has posed a reputational problem. Crown Prince Haakon said last week that he and Mette-Marit do not plan to attend the trial and that the royal household will not comment during the proceedings.
The trial opening coincides with renewed scrutiny of Mette-Marit’s past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein after a fresh release of documents from the Epstein files that contained several hundred mentions of the crown princess. Mette-Marit has previously expressed regret for having had contact with Epstein, saying she “must take responsibility for not having investigated Epstein’s background more thoroughly, and for not realising sooner what kind of person he was,” adding that she showed poor judgment and regretted the contact. (AP)
