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The eldest son of Norway’s crown princess has been arrested, just before his trial opens on charges including rape in a case that has been an embarrassment to the royal family, police said on Monday.
Marius Borg Høiby was arrested on Sunday evening and is accused of assault, threats with a knife and violation of a restraining order, police said in a statement. They requested four weeks’ detention on grounds of risk of reoffending.
On Tuesday, he’s due to go on trial at the Oslo district court. The indictment includes 38 counts, including rape, abuse in a close relationship against one former partner, acts of violence against another and transporting 3.5 kilograms of marijuana. Other charges include making death threats and traffic violations.
Høiby has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 on various allegations of wrongdoing. But he had been free pending trial until Sunday.
Prosecutors have said Høiby, 29, could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted at the trial, which is expected to last until mid-March.
Høiby is the son of Mette-Marit from a previous relationship and stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon.
While the royals are generally popular in Norway, the Høiby case has cast a shadow on their image.
Epstein files show link
Ahead of the trial, Friday’s release of the latest batch of documents from the Epstein files shone an unflattering spotlight on Mette-Marit. They contained several hundred mentions of the crown princess, who already said in 2019 that she regretted having had contact with Epstein, Norwegian media reported.
The newly released documents, which include email exchanges with Epstein, showed that Mette-Marit borrowed a property of Epstein’s in Palm Beach, Fla., for several days in early 2013 and the royal house confirmed that she did so through a mutual friend, broadcaster NRK reported.
In a statement emailed by the royal house, Mette-Marit said she “must take responsibility for not having investigated Epstein’s background more thoroughly, and for not realizing sooner what kind of person he was.”
“I deeply regret this, and it is a responsibility I must bear. I showed poor judgment and regret having had any contact with Epstein at all,” she added. “It is simply embarrassing.”
She expressed her “deep sympathy and solidarity” with the victims of Epstein’s abuse.
Mette-Marit’s contacts with Epstein and the Høiby trial are not the only source of negative publicity for Norway’s royals. The business ventures of Haakon’s sister, Princess Märtha Louise, have drawn repeated criticism. In 2024, around the same time Høiby’s case was making news, she married an American self-professed shaman, Durek Verrett.
Former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is facing more scrutiny after a new tranche of Epstein files uncovered questionable photos and the BBC aired new allegations from a woman linking the two men.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.cbc.ca ’
