A 29-year-old son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been convicted of two counts of rape and handed a four-year prison term. Marius Borg Høiby faced multiple charges, but the three-judge panel at Oslo District Court cleared him of two other rape allegations while finding him guilty of numerous other offenses.
Verdict and Sentencing
Høiby was absent from the courtroom for unspecified health reasons, participating via video link. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of seven years and seven months, while defense lawyers argued for a lighter term of 18 months. Following the verdict, defense attorney Petar Sekulic announced plans to appeal.
Impact on Royal Family
Though not a royal figure himself, Høiby's trial has cast a shadow over the broader royal family. His mother married Crown Prince Haakon when he was four, and he grew up within the family. The palace has declined to comment on the verdict. Crown Princess Mette-Marit suffers from pulmonary fibrosis and has been placed on a lung transplant list. Her son's lawyers have repeatedly sought his release to spend time with her due to her declining health.
After the verdict, Sekulic again requested Høiby's release, but the court rejected the plea late Monday, citing a risk that he might contact a woman he was convicted of assaulting, having previously violated a restraining order to see her.
Details of the Ruling
Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad began Monday's session with a summary of conclusions, followed by a 128-page ruling. Høiby denied all four rape charges but was convicted of abusing two women—one at the Crown Prince's estate at Skaugum in 2018 and another in Oslo in 2024. He was also convicted of abusing ex-girlfriend and influencer Nora Haukland and causing serious bodily harm to another partner, in whose flat he was arrested in August 2024.
However, he was acquitted of two other rapes involving a woman he met at an Oslo hotel in November 2024 and another during a holiday in the Lofoten islands in 2023.
Defense Reaction and Next Steps
Sekulic noted that an appeal is likely given the nature of the case. Defense colleague Ellen Holager Andenæs expressed satisfaction with the acquittals but criticized other aspects of the verdict. Both lawyers then discussed the verdict with Høiby at Ila prison and detention center outside Oslo. The case involved six women, but only one was in court to hear the verdict; she was seen crying as Høiby was found guilty of raping her.
