The stepson of Norway’s crown prince has been convicted on two counts of rape, along with other offenses.
The son of the Norwegian crown princess was handed a four-year prison sentence after being found guilty of two rape charges, as decided by an Oslo court on Monday.
Marius Borg Høiby entered a not guilty plea and has the option to appeal the verdict.
The 29-year-old is the child of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a prior relationship before she wed Crown Prince Haakon.
What details are known about Høiby’s trial?
Høiby faced 40 charges, with a potential maximum penalty of 16 years in prison.
The rape accusations involve four different women from 2018 to 2024, with the women allegedly being asleep or heavily incapacitated.
The prosecution requested a sentence of seven years and seven months behind bars, whereas defense attorneys argued that Høiby should be cleared of the rape allegations and receive no more than 18 months for the offenses he had admitted to.
The prosecution characterized Høiby as a man “who believes he can do whatever he wants,” while the 29-year-old himself maintained that he is “not in the habit of having sex with women who are asleep.” He criticized local media for depicting him as a “monster.”
He was also found guilty of domestic abuse against a former girlfriend, making threats, and traffic violations, while being acquitted of two additional rape charges.
The seven-week trial made headlines across Norway and included details of Høiby’s drug addiction, self-recorded videos of sexual encounters, and more than 800 messages as part of the evidence.
One alleged rape took place in the crown prince’s basement, the court was told.
What impact does the verdict have on Norway’s royal family?
Having previously enjoyed widespread public support, the trial has further damaged the royal family’s standing in Norway.
It followed Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s recent apology for her friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A survey from February 21 indicated that the percentage of Norwegians in favor of retaining the monarchy fell to around 60%, a historic low, though support rose by 4% by May.
The crown princess is facing a challenging period regarding her health; she is on the waiting list for a lung transplant due to pulmonary fibrosis.
Edited by: Rana Taha
Don’t let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google by clicking here and hitting the “star” or “preferred” button, so you’ll always see our verified news first.
Your feedback