Listen to this article
Average 3 minutes
The audio version of this article was created by AI-based technology. It can be mispronounced. We are working with our partners to continuously review and improve the results.
The trial of the son of a Norwegian princess, on charges including rape, began on Tuesday, opening weeks of trial that has tarnished the image of the royal family.
Marius Borg Høiby, 29, is the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship and the adopted son of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon. Høiby has no royal title or official duties.
He has been closely watched since he was arrested several times in 2024 for various wrongdoings.
Høiby appeared in Oslo district court on Tuesday morning for the trial, which is scheduled to last until March 19.
He faces 38 charges. It includes rape, abuse in an intimate relationship with a former partner, acts of violence against another and transporting 3.5 kilograms of marijuana. Other offenses include making death threats and traffic violations.
A recent batch of Epstein files includes many emails with Sarah Ferguson, the former duchess of York. The documents do not include evidence of anything illegal, but they do show his long relationship with a convicted sex offender.
Prosecutors said Høiby could face up to 10 years in prison, if convicted. Seven victims are expected to testify.
Reflecting international interest in the case, the judge spoke to the court in English, warning that it was forbidden to record or take pictures in court and advised that some of the witnesses’ testimony would be heard in camera.
Høiby’s defense team said he “denies all charges of sexual assault, as well as many charges of violence.”
He was free awaiting trial until Sunday, when police said he was arrested on new charges of assault, threatening with a knife and breaching a restraining order.
On Monday, the Oslo court accepted their request to keep him in custody for four weeks because he might commit another crime. Defense attorney Petar Sekulic said the arrest follows an “incident” allegedly involving another person on Sunday.
A shadow on the royal family portrait
He declined to provide details, but said Høiby is contesting his arrest and his legal team is considering an appeal as soon as he and the other person are able to give statements to police.
Charges include four counts of rape between 2018 and November 2024; allegations of violence and threats against an ex-partner between the summer of 2022 and the fall of 2023; and two alleged acts of violence against a subsequent partner, and a violation of a restraining order.
Høiby’s defense team said he “denies all charges of sexual assault, as well as many charges of violence.”
Haakon said last week that he and Mette-Marit did not plan to attend the trial and that the royal family did not intend to comment during the trial.
King Harald, 88, and the royal family are often well-liked in Norway, but Høiby’s case has been a problem for the family’s image.
And Høiby’s trial opens just as Mette-Marit faces renewed scrutiny of her contacts with Jeffrey Epstein following Friday’s release of a new batch of documents from the Epstein files. They contain several hundred statements about the crown princess, who already said in 2019 that she regretted having contact with Epstein, Norwegian media reported.
