Son of Norway's crown princess charged with rape, sexual assault
The son of Norway's crown princess, Mette-Marit, has been charged on counts including rape, sexual assault and bodily harm following his arrest in November 2024.
Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Norway's crown princess and stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, has been under scutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 amid allegations of rape and on preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage.
On Friday, Oslo police said Høiby, 28, was co-operative during police questioning, which is now complete following a months-long investigation in a case that involved a 'double-digit' number of accusers.
Evidence in the case was drawn from sources including text messages, witness testimonies and police searches, Oslo police prosecutor Andreas Kruszewski said.
During a press conference, Kruszewski said the charges included one case of rape involving intercourse and two cases of rape without intercourse, four cases of sexual assault and two cases of bodily harm.
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'I cannot go into further detail about the number of victims in the case beyond confirming that it is a double-digit number,' he said.
Høiby's lawyer said he was 'absolutely taking the accusations very seriously, but doesn't acknowledge any wrongdoing in most of the cases — especially the cases regarding sexual abuse and violence.'
The royal palace has not released a statement regarding the charges.
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Høiby was arrested on suspicion of rape in November and police said in a statement that he was accused of carrying out a 'sexual act without intercourse' on a victim 'said to have been unable to resist the act.'
The accuser is a woman in her 20s who did not know Høiby before she met him on the day of the alleged incident, her lawyer Hege Salomon told CNN. She was not in a relationship with him.
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At a detention hearing at Oslo District Court in November 2024, police prosecutor Kruszewski requested that Høiby remain in custody for an additional two weeks after another rape allegation was reported.
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'The reason for this request is that we have uncovered another rape case overnight and this morning. This was identified in the investigative material,' Oslo police said in a statement at the time.
'The case involves sexual activity, not intercourse, with a woman who was incapable of resisting the act. This means that we are now investigating two rape cases involving Marius Borg Høiby.'
The judge in the case ordered one week of remand for the embattled member of Norway's royal family.
'Marius is facing serious accusations, which the police and the judiciary will deal with.… I am convinced they will do a good job,' Prince Haakon, heir to the throne and Borg Høiby's stepfather, told public broadcaster NRK before the detention order.
'We as a family and as parents have, of course, been very concerned that Marius should get help.'
Prior to that arrest, Høiby had also been charged with one count of 'abuse in close relationships,' violating a restraining order and driving without a valid driver's licence, police said.
Police said Høiby was taken into custody on Aug. 4, 2024, after an incident at the Oslo apartment of a woman he was in a relationship with. Police say they found a knife stuck into one of the walls of the woman's bedroom and he was accused of causing her bodily harm.
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He apologized for the events leading up to his August arrest in a statement to NRK at the time, blaming it on 'being intoxicated with alcohol and cocaine after an argument' and 'several mental illnesses' for which he planned to 'resume treatment.'
In September 2024, he was arrested for violating a restraining order. Police said that he was in a car with last August's accuser. They clarified that this latest charge is an accuser from a separate incident.
Høiby was born before the princess's 2001 marriage to the crown prince, and therefore does not hold a royal title or carry out official duties.
— With files from Global News' Michelle Butterfield and The Associated Press
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