Son of Norway’s crown princess charged with rape, sexual assault and bodily harm
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Son of Norway’s crown princess, Marius Borg Høiby, charged with rape, sexual assault
Marius Borg Høiby is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon. He has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 amid allegations of rape and on preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage. He remains free pending a possible trial and is entitled to a presumption of innocence until a court rules otherwise, his defense attorney says. The royal palace did not immediately respond to an emailed request from the AP seeking comment.
Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 amid allegations of rape and on preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage.
Oslo Police Attorney Andreas Kruszewski said Høiby was cooperative during police questioning. He said evidence in the case was drawn from sources including text messages, witness testimonies and police searches.
Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the throne. HAKON MOSVOLD LARSEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images
Høiby, 28, was born from a relationship before Mette-Marit’s 2001 marriage to Haakon. He was raised alongside his stepsiblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 21, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 19, but has no official public role. According to Høiby’s defense attorney, Petar Sekulic, his client previously lived with the royal family but now lives in a separate house nearby.
The charges against Høiby include one case of rape involving intercourse and two cases of rape without intercourse, four cases of sexual assault and two cases of bodily harm, Kruszewski said at a news conference.
“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.
Sekulic told the Associated Press in an email that Høiby 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.”
Police Attorney Andreas Kruszewski from the Oslo Police District gives an update on the case against the son of Norway’s crown princess, Marius Borg Høiby. OLE BERG-RUSTEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images
The royal palace did not immediately respond to an emailed request from the AP seeking comment.
Høiby remains free pending a possible trial and is entitled to a presumption of innocence until a court rules otherwise.
Son of Norweigan Crown Princess charged with rape and sexual assault
Marius Borg Høiby, 28, is the stepson of the heir to the Norwegian throne, Crown Prince Haakon. He is the son of Mette-Marit from a previous relationship. Police say that they have conducted a “thorough investigation” of the cases, including witness interviews, police searches and extensive digital material. He remains free pending a possible trial and is entitled to a presumption of innocence until a court rules otherwise. The royal palace did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request from the Associated Press seeking comment.
The charges follow a months-long investigation of a case involving a “double digit” number of alleged victims.
Marius Borg Høiby, 28, is the stepson of the heir to the Norwegian throne, Crown Prince Haakon, and is the son of Mette-Marit from a previous relationship.
He has no royal title or official duties.
Høiby was arrested three times in 2024 in connection with the case.
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Police say that they have conducted a “thorough investigation” of the cases, including witness interviews, police searches and extensive digital material, including text-messages.
Oslo Police Attorney Andreas Kruszewski said Høiby was cooperative during police questioning, which is now complete.
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, Kruszewksi said at a news conference.
Altogether Høiby faces 23 charges, which also include violating a restraining order and road traffic offences.
“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 defence attorney Petar Sekulic has said the defendant is ““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 did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request from the Associated Press seeking comment.
Police Attorney Andreas Kruszewski provided the update on the case. Credit: NTB Scanpix/AP
Høiby remains free pending a possible trial and is entitled to a presumption of innocence until a court rules otherwise.
Høiby previously lived with the royal couple and their two children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, but now lives nearby, according to Sekulic.
Norway’s future queen made headlines in 2001 when she married Haakon because she was a single mother who had once been a companion of Høiby’s father, a felon convicted of drugs charges.
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Royal scandal in Norway: Son of Crown Princess charged with multiple rapes, assaults
Marius Borg Hoiby, the 28-year-old son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been formally charged with 23 criminal offences. He faces multiple counts of rape, sexual assault, and bodily harm. The investigation spans allegations from a “double-digit” number of alleged victims. His defense attorney, Petar Sekulic, said his client “is absolutely taking the accusations very seriously, but doesn’t acknowledge any wrongdoing in most of the cases”
Hoiby, the son of the crown princess from a previous relationship and stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, has been under police scrutiny since August 2024, when he was arrested on preliminary charges related to the alleged assault of his girlfriend. As the investigation progressed, a slew of additional accusations emerged.
Police attorney Andreas Kruszewski confirmed during a press conference that Hoiby has been charged with one count of rape involving intercourse and two counts of rape without intercourse. He also faces four charges of sexual assault and two of bodily harm. In total, the investigation spans allegations from a “double-digit” number of alleged victims.
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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,” Kruszewski said, adding that police have concluded interviews with the accused and gathered evidence including text messages, witness testimonies, and results from property searches.
Hoiby has reportedly cooperated with investigators during the process. His defense attorney, Petar Sekulic, told the Associated Press that his client “is 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 yet to respond to requests for comment.
The case has dominated headlines in Norway, where the royal family enjoys widespread popularity. Hoiby previously lived with the crown couple and their children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, but now resides separately in a nearby residence.
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Despite the seriousness of the charges, Hoiby remains free pending a potential trial and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
His mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, attracted significant media attention herself in 2001 when she married Crown Prince Haakon. At the time, she was a single mother and had been in a relationship with a man who had a criminal record for drug offences — a past that initially sparked public debate but was later largely accepted by the Norwegian public.
(With inputs from Associated Press)
Marius Borg Høiby, son of Norway’s crown princess, charged with rape and assault
Marius Borg Høiby, 28, is the stepson of Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon. He was arrested several times in 2024 amid allegations of rape. Oslo Police Attorney Andreas Kruszewski confirmed that the investigation has concluded. The charges include one count of rape involving intercourse, two counts of rape without intercourse, four counts of sexual assault and two of bodily harm.
Oslo police have charged Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Norway’s crown princess Mette-Marit, with multiple offences including rape, sexual assault and bodily harm following an extended investigation involving a “double-digit” number of alleged victims.
Høiby, 28, who is the stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, was arrested several times in 2024 amid allegations of rape and preliminary charges of physical assault and criminal damage.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Oslo Police Attorney Andreas Kruszewski confirmed that the investigation has concluded, with charges now filed.
“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.
Evidence was gathered from text messages, witness statements and police searches.
The charges include one count of rape involving intercourse, two counts of rape without intercourse, four counts of sexual assault and two of bodily harm.
Defence lawyer Petar Sekulic told the Associated Press that Høiby is “absolutely taking the accusations very seriously,” but denies wrongdoing in most cases, particularly those concerning “sexual abuse and violence.”
The high-profile case has dominated headlines in Norway, where the royal family remains widely admired.
Høiby, who once resided with the royal couple and their children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, now lives independently nearby.
He remains at liberty ahead of a possible trial and is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit attracted public attention in 2001 when she married Crown Prince Haakon, having previously been a single mother and partner to a man with a drug conviction.
Son of Norway’s crown princess charged with rape and sexual assault
Marius Borg Høiby charged with multiple counts including rape, sexual assault and bodily harm. He is the stepson of the heir to the Norwegian throne, Crown Prince Haakon, and the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship. He has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 amid allegations of rape and on preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage. He remains free pending a possible trial and is entitled to a presumption of innocence until a court rules otherwise.
Høiby, who is the stepson of the heir to the Norwegian throne, Crown Prince Haakon, and the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship, has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 amid allegations of rape and on preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage.
Oslo Police Attorney Andreas Kruszewski said Høiby was cooperative during police questioning, which is now complete.
Evidence in the case was drawn from sources including text messages, witness testimonies and police searches, the police attorney said.
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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, Kruszewksi said on Friday.
“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.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Marius Borg Hoiby, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit (Getty Images)
Defence attorney Petar Sekulic said Høiby 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 case was top news in Norway, where the royals are popular. He has no royal title or official duties.
Høiby, 28, previously lived with the royal couple and their two children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, but now lives in a separate house nearby, according to Sekulic.
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Høiby remains free pending a possible trial and is entitled to a presumption of innocence until a court rules otherwise.
Norway’s future queen made headlines in 2001 when she married Haakon because she was a single mother who had lived a freewheeling life with a companion who had been convicted on drug charges.