Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been charged with numerous offenses, including multiple counts of rape, sexual assault, and bodily harm, following an extensive investigation into allegations involving a “double-digit” number of victims. This announcement was made by Oslo police on Friday.
The 28-year-old Høiby, who is the stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, faced scrutiny throughout 2024 due to repeated arrests linked to these allegations, as well as preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage. Oslo Police Attorney Andreas Kruszewski remarked that Høiby was cooperative during his questioning. Evidence for these charges has been compiled from various sources, including text messages, witness statements, and police searches.
Høiby, who was born prior to Mette-Marit’s marriage to Haakon in 2001, grew up with his step-siblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 21, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 19, yet does not hold any official public role. According to his defense attorney, Petar Sekulic, Høiby formerly lived with the royal family but currently resides separately in a nearby home.
The specific charges against Høiby comprise one instance of rape involving intercourse, two instances of rape without intercourse, four cases of sexual assault, and two cases of bodily harm, as detailed by Kruszewski during a press conference. He confirmed that he could not elaborate further on the number of victims, other than to affirm it is in the double digits.
Sekulic conveyed to the Associated Press that Høiby is taking the accusations seriously but maintains he has done no wrong in most of the cases, particularly regarding sexual abuse and violence. Meanwhile, the royal palace has not yet issued a response to the Associated Press’s request for comment.
Høiby is currently free while awaiting the possibility of a trial and retains the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in court.