The son of a Norwegian princess was arrested a few days before his rape trial was to begin
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The eldest son of a Norwegian princess has been arrested, shortly before his trial on charges including rape in a scandal that embarrassed the royal family, police said on Monday.
Marius Borg Høiby was arrested on Sunday evening and is accused of assault, threatening with a knife and breaching a restraining order, the police said in a statement. They asked to be jailed for four weeks on the grounds that they would commit the crime again.
On Tuesday, he will appear in the Oslo district court. The case includes 38 charges, including rape, abuse in an intimate relationship with an ex-girlfriend, acts of abuse against another and transporting 3.5 kilograms of marijuana. Other offenses include making death threats and traffic violations.
Høiby has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 on various charges. But he had been free awaiting trial until Sunday.
Prosecutors said Høiby, 29, could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted, which is expected to last until mid-March.
Høiby is Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship and the stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon.
While the royal family is generally popular in Norway, the Høiby case has cast a shadow over their image.
Epstein files show link
Ahead of the trial, Friday’s release of the latest batch of documents from the Epstein files shined an unflattering light on Mette-Marit. They contain several hundred statements about the crown princess, who already said in 2019 that she regretted having contact with Epstein, Norwegian media reported.
Newly released documents, which include email exchanges with Epstein, show that Mette-Marit borrowed Epstein’s property in Palm Beach, Fla., for a few days in early 2013 and the royal house confirmed that she did so through a mutual friend, broadcaster NRK reported.
In an emailed statement from the royal family, Mette-Marit said she “must take responsibility for not properly investigating Epstein’s background, and for not realizing quickly what kind of person he was.”
“I deeply regret this, and it is a responsibility that I must bear. I showed poor judgment and I regret that I had any contact with Epstein at all,” he added. “It’s just embarrassing.”
He expressed his “deep sympathy and solidarity” with the victims of Epstein’s abuse.
Mette-Marit’s contacts with Epstein and the Høiby case are not the only source of negative exposure for members of the Norwegian royal family. The business of Haakon’s sister, Princess Märtha Louise, has received repeated criticism. In 2024, at the same time Høiby’s case was making headlines, she married an American shaman, Durek Verrett.
Former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is facing increased scrutiny after a new episode of the Epstein files revealed questionable images and the BBC aired fresh allegations of a woman linking the two men.
