Ruling Against Mette-Marit’s Troubled Son: What Does Høiby Face?

Who is Marius Borg Høiby?

Høiby is the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Norwegian Morten Borg. When he was two years old, his mother met the Norwegian Crown Prince at a festival. Høiby therefore grew up as Haakon’s foster son and as the older half-brother of the Crown Prince and Princess’s two children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus. He is part of the royal family but not of the royal house and does not perform any official duties for the royals. Høiby has spoken openly in the past about drug addiction and mental health issues. He does not have a profession.

What is he charged with?

A whole range of criminal offenses. There are a total of 40 charges against Høiby, and the prosecution is seeking convictions on 39 of them. The most serious charges: four counts of rape under Norwegian law. Four women are involved. Høiby is alleged to have abused and filmed them while they were asleep. In one case, penetration with the penis is alleged to have occurred. While he denies these charges, the Norwegian has admitted to other offenses. These include assault, threats, violations of a restraining order against an ex-girlfriend, a drug offense, and several traffic violations.

How much has the scandal shaken the royal family?

At an already difficult time for the Norwegian royals, the trial of Crown Prince Haakon’s foster son has placed an additional strain on the family. Mette-Marit and the others have stayed away from the court proceedings but have regularly visited Høiby in prison. The Crown Princess is seriously ill and urgently needs a new lung. She has also been under fire in Norway for months over her friendship with the American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

How did the trial go?

During the seven-week marathon trial between early February and mid-March, numerous witnesses appeared alongside Høiby himself, including ex-girlfriends, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, researchers, and detectives. Photos and videos on the Norwegian man’s cell phones played a key role in the presentation of evidence. Hundreds of text messages between the defendant and the alleged victims were read aloud, and internet search histories were disclosed. This revealed details about Høiby’s private life and sexual preferences. On several occasions, the 29-year-old tearfully accused the media of hounding him since childhood and defended his parents.

Why is Mette-Marit’s son in pretrial detention?

Shortly before the trial began, Høiby had once again violated a restraining order against an ex-girlfriend and was arrested. According to media reports, the two had been seeing each other frequently in the months leading up to the trial, even though a no-contact order was already in place. Mette-Marit’s son made several attempts during and after the trial to be released from pretrial detention—if necessary, with an electronic ankle monitor. Citing his mother’s deteriorating health, he tried again shortly before the verdict was handed down, but without success.

How will the sentencing proceed?

First, the judges will present a brief summary of the verdict. According to the court, this is expected to take about one to one and a half hours. The written verdict will then be released to the press. Contrary to the original plan, Høiby himself will not be present at the hearing: The court had announced that, for health reasons, he would be allowed to follow the verdict via a video link from prison.

Will Høiby go to prison?

Both the prosecution and the defense seem to assume so. At the end of the trial, the prosecution had sought a sentence of seven years and seven months in prison for the royal godson. Høiby’s lawyers, on the other hand, had argued for a sentence of one and a half years for the crimes the Norwegian has admitted to. Regarding the most serious charges—the rape allegations—the defense attorneys sought an acquittal. Both sides want the time spent in pretrial detention to be deducted from the prison sentence.