OSLO, Norway – Marius Borg Høiby, the 27-year-old son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been charged with multiple offences, including two counts of rape and abuse against several individuals, Norwegian police confirmed this week.
Høiby, who is not in the line of succession to the Norwegian throne, was arrested late Monday on suspicion of committing a sexual act without intercourse on a woman said to have been “unable to resist the act.”
The alleged victim, in her 20s, did not know Høiby prior to the incident, her lawyer Hege Salomon told CNN.
On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, a second allegation of rape emerged during a detention hearing at Oslo District Court.
Police prosecutor Andreas Kruszewski confirmed that both allegations involve sexual acts carried out on victims incapable of resisting.
The offences fall under Norway’s penal code, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years for such crimes.
A History of Allegations
Høiby now faces a slew of charges linked to five individuals: four women and one man.
Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported that three of the women were in relationships with Høiby, and he has been accused of abuse in all three cases.
In August, Høiby was charged with assault and criminal damage during an alleged violent altercation at an apartment in Oslo involving one of the women.
He has also been accused of threatening to kill a man in his 20s, according to NRK.
Police stated that Høiby was with the woman from the August incident at the time of his arrest earlier this week.
Legal Defence
Høiby’s lawyer, Øyvind Bratlien, said his client pleads guilty to a single instance of bodily harm against his most recent girlfriend, criminal damage in her apartment, and a threat.
“For the other circumstances, he does not admit criminal guilt,” Bratlien told CNN.
The Royal House of Norway has declined to comment on the allegations.
Royal Family Reacts
Crown Prince Haakon, Høiby’s stepfather, addressed the situation in a statement to NRK, describing the allegations as “serious.”
“These are serious accusations that Marius is now facing. Today, we are of course thinking of all those affected,” Crown Prince Haakon said.
“I trust that the police and the judicial system will handle the case in a thorough and fair manner.”
The allegations against Høiby come amid increased scrutiny of public figures and their accountability in Norway.
Høiby, born in 1997 from a relationship prior to Mette-Marit’s marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, has remained outside the line of royal succession.
