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Marius Borg Høiby with his mother Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepfather Crown Prince Haakon at a public appearance in 2016. Borg Høiby grew up largely away from official duties, but occasionally accompanied his family to special occasions.
IMAGO/PPE
A new podcast is causing a stir in Norway: a close friend of Marius Borg Høiby, son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, breaks his silence.
A three-part podcast by the newspaper Verdens Gang is currently causing a stir in Norway. "Kompisen til Marius" - in German: "A buddy of Marius" - provides an unusually personal look at the life of Marius Borg Høiby (28), the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
The story is told from the perspective of a close friend who has been part of the scandalous royal's entourage for around ten years. For fear of the consequences, the friend remains anonymous and calls himself Erik.
His statements are even recorded by an actor. But despite this caution, his tone is conciliatory: Erik wants to "give Marius a voice", as he has been downright "beaten down" in the media.
At the center of the discussion are private parties at Skaugum Castle, the residence of the Norwegian crown prince and princess. Erik confirms that there were parties there and admits that Marius was "a little careless" with the guest list.
The allegations that members of the Hells Angels rocker group were present at these parties are also explosive. But Erik disagrees: "None of that is true. Nobody from the Hells Angels was there."
Officially, the Norwegian court has already denied these rumors. Nevertheless, the editor-in-chief of the magazine Se og Hør, Ulf Andre Andersen, stands by the allegations.
He finds it particularly irritating that the court merely declared that it had "no knowledge" of such incidents, which in legal terms is not tantamount to a clear rejection.
The list of Marius Borg Høiby's escapades is long. In 2024, he was arrested for the first time after a violent incident allegedly took place in his home.
Several media outlets reported physical and psychological assaults on a woman. Dramatic images later showed a completely devastated apartment in which Marius is said to have rammed a knife into the wall.
Despite his release in the meantime, the negative reporting continued. Further incidents, also in connection with violence against women, followed. There are now even allegations of rape. Investigations are ongoing and a verdict is still pending.
According to media reports, Skaugum, the residence of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon, was also the scene of a serious incident.
Marius Borg Høiby is said to have sexually assaulted a Norwegian TV personality in the basement of the property in 2018.
The woman herself could not remember the incident. She only found out about the alleged assault when the police presented her with video and photo footage.
The Norwegian royal family is concerned about the allegations, but so far there has been no official statement beyond general expressions of concern.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon are keeping a low profile, which is being increasingly criticized in view of the media impact of the affair.
