Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway looks dignified as she attends Pope Francis' funeral - amid scandal around son Marius Borg Høiby
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway was poised as she attended the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican today - as a scandal deepens around her eldest son.
The 51-year-old, who is suffering from an incurable lung disease, and her husband Crown Prince Haakon were among a host of European royals who travelled to Italy to pay their respects on Saturday.
They joined a number of dignitaries and world leaders in St. Peter's Square, with US President Donald Trump, Prince William and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer all in attendance.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit was dignified as she attended the funeral, despite a deepening scandal involving her 28-year-old son Marius Borg Høiby.
He has faced a string of charges including assault and two rapes - which he denies - and as well as being under investigation for three further sexual assaults.
Borg Høiby has not commented on the allegations since they came out in February.
But the Crown Princess appeared to not let this scandal bother her as she arrived at Vatican City on Saturday in an all-black ensemble.
She opted for a long, tailored black coat over her sleek outfit, which she paired with a delicate lace veil.
The 51-year-old and her husband Crown Prince Haakon were among a host of European royals who travelled to Italy to pay their respects on Saturday
Mette-Marit left her platinum hair loose around her shoulders in a stark contrast to her monochrome outfit, and carried a small black bag.
Her husband, Crown Prince Haakon, wore a classic black suit and tie.
Their outing comes as a presenter who was allegedly 'raped by the future King of Norway's stepson while she was unconscious' broke down in tears as she criticised his 'appalling' behaviour.
The 28-year-old son of Mette-Marit was first arrested on August 4, and has since faced a string of charges including assault and two rapes - which he denies - and as well as being under investigation for three further sexual assaults.
Among those to come forward is national media personality Linni Meister, who attended a 'castle basement party' of his, where the 'attack' is alleged to have taken place; with police reported to have a video clip.
The Norwegian royal family was rocked by Borg Høiby's first arrest at the beginning of August 2024. Pictured with his mother in 2016
The TV star, 39, reportedly did not remember the alleged assault and only became aware of it after she was informed by law enforcement officials. After the claims came out earlier this year, Linni stated the allegations were 'true' in a Snapchat statement.
She has now hit out at Borg Høiby's 'disrespect' in a new podcast 'Puppen og Lillemor' with friend and co-host Mia Gundersen, 63.
As reported by Se og hor, Linni became emotional as she slammed the royal for 'running away and going to party' while 'victims' wait for justice.
'He has no respect for himself or his family. Not even for us victims. It's hurtful. What happened afterwards is almost worse for me,' she said tearfully in an episode.
'Instead of doing the right thing, he runs away and goes to a party. I am appalled by how things are being handled by the defendant. And why isn't more happening? It pisses me off!'
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Daily Mail
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Every parent's nightmare as respected teacher exposed as paedophile who preyed on young girls
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The paedophile teacher kept his head bowed as he was jailed. The court today [Friday] heard Clark pretended to be a 14-year-old boy using a fake Snapchat profile with the name 'Jamie_jones6968' to send hundreds of explicit messages to girls, persuading some to send sexual images in return. Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here . Judge Simon Berkson said he had no doubt his offending would have continued if he hadn't been stopped after the mother of one victim noticed an unknown man had asked her daughter for a naked photograph and reported him to police. Article continues below It was every parent's nightmare, he said. Simon Clark, 46, of no fixed address, outside Chester Crown Court where he admitted 29 child sex offences The case against Clark began in January, 2023, when police in North Wales were contacted by the concerned parent. Initial enquires suggested that the suspect was living in the Cheshire area, so the case was passed to Cheshire Police. An investigation was subsequently launched by detectives from the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) at Cheshire Police and during their enquiries officers established that Clark was the suspect in the case. A warrant was conducted at his home in May, 2023, and four devices were seized from the address. During subsequent analysis officers discovered that Clark had been posing as a teenager using the Snapchat account. The judge said the truth must have come as a "terrible shock" to the victims and their families. He branded Clark a "dangerous" offender. Clark was given an eight year term, with four more years on licence on his release, for inciting a child under 13 to engage in penetrative sexual activity. The remaining jail terms, which are all concurrent, range from 40 months to four months. Clark also received concurrent sentences of eight months, four months and four weeks for making indecent images in categories A, B and C. The judge told the defendant he represented a 'significant risk' to children. Judge Berkson said: 'It is, of course, every parent's worst nightmare, this sort of thing happening to their children. 'Many of the offences involve sexual communication, some involving inciting children to engage in sexual activity. This was well planned and sophisticated criminal behaviour. 'You clearly have a sexual interest from the sexual abuse of children and gain sexual gratification from it.' Clark's barrister, Jeremy Rawson, referred to a "black side" to him. He said: "He has lost everything as a result of this. "There's a black side to his character which is unrestrained and he gave into it and he bitterly regrets it." He went on: "It's a terribly sad case. It's sad for those children whose trust has been abused. It's sad for the parents of those children whose trust has been marred by this man. 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Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Louise Murphy and Detective Constable Megan Griffiths, who led the investigation, said: 'Firstly, we would like to praise the victims in this case for the bravery and courage that they have shown throughout this investigation. "Clark was a teacher, he held a position of trust, and the messages we recovered clearly showed that he was well aware that his victims were all under the age of 16, but despite this he continued his crimes in order to satisfy his own warped sexual desires. 'It was apparent throughout the investigation that Clark is a sexual predator who preyed on young girls, with no regard for the effects his actions would have on the victims or their families. 'While they will never be able to forget what he did, we hope the sentence handed to Clark will provide the victims with some closure and allow them to move forward with their lives.' An NSPCC spokesperson said: 'As a teacher Clark had a duty to keep children safe. 'Instead for seven years he posed as a teenage boy on a social media platform, using his fake profile to target and groom young girls before persuading them to send naked images of themselves. 'This kind of sexual abuse can have a devastating impact on the victims and it is vital all the children involved in this case have access to the support they need to move forwards with their lives. Article continues below 'This case also highlights the need for social media sites to be doing much more to protect children and prevent offenders like Clark from using their platforms to carry out their crimes.'
