<\/p>\n
Marius Borg Hoiby, the son of Norway\u2019s future queen from a previous relationship, was initially welcomed into the royal family. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
But now, facing trial accused of four rapes, he has become a liability.<\/p>\n
The 29-year-old known as the \u201clittle prince\u201d, who was born before his mother Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby married Norway\u2019s Crown Prince Haakon, goes on trial in Oslo\u2019s district court on Tuesday accused of 38 counts, including four rapes and assaults against ex-girlfriends.<\/p>\n
He was arrested on August 4, 2024, suspected of assaulting his then-girlfriend and causing damage to her apartment the previous night.<\/p>\n
After that, allegations against him poured in: several ex-girlfriends came forward and accused him of assault, and police gradually widened their investigation against him to include suspected rapes, death threats, drug offences, invasion of privacy, violation of restraining orders, and more.<\/p>\n
Hoiby has admitted only to some minor offences.<\/p>\n
In a public statement 10 days after his arrest, he admitted he had acted \u201cunder the influence of alcohol and cocaine after an argument\u201d, after suffering from \u201cmental troubles\u201d and struggling \u201cfor a long time with substance abuse\u201d.<\/p>\n
In November 2024, Hoiby spent a week in custody \u2013 unprecedented for someone so closely linked to the Norwegian royal family.<\/p>\n
\u2018Gilded cage\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n
Hoiby was born on January 13, 1997 after a brief romance between his mother and Morten Borg \u2013 a fellow habitue of the 1990s music scene who has also been convicted of abuse and drug-related crimes \u2013 at a time when Norway\u2019s house music milieu was known for its abundance of hash and ecstasy.<\/p>\n
Borg Hoiby was propelled into the spotlight at the age of four when his mother married Crown Prince Haakon, with whom she went on to have two other children.<\/p>\n
He was raised by the royal couple alongside his step-siblings Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, now aged 22 and 20.<\/p>\n
Unlike them, however, he has no official public role.<\/p>\n
Mette-Marit has tried to shield him from the media, but his jet-set lifestyle has thrust him into the public eye.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has been put in a virtually impossible position: one foot in, one foot out. He is not technically part of the royal household but he grew up in it,\u201d said Sigrid Hvidsten, royal commentator at the newspaper Dagbladet.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has lived in a grey zone, a kind of gilded cage,\u201d she told AFP in December 2024.<\/p>\n
Bad company<\/b><\/p>\n
But the cage did not stop him from hanging out with gang members, according to media reports. In 2023, police contacted him for a cautionary talk after he was seen moving in the same circles as \u201cnotorious criminals\u201d.<\/p>\n
Once the assault scandal hit the headlines in August 2024, it emerged that Hoiby had already been arrested in 2017 for using cocaine at a music festival, and got off with a fine.<\/p>\n
He has lived a comfortable lifestyle provided for by his mother and stepfather. He does not work or study.<\/p>\n
Several ex-girlfriends are now plaintiffs in the case against him. His case has struck a blow to the monarchy, at least temporarily, though it remains popular, notably in the figures of King Harald, 88, and Crown Prince Haakon, 52.<\/p>\n
In a poll published on Wednesday by broadcaster NRK, 37 per cent of people questioned said their opinion of the monarchy had deteriorated in the past year.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarius Borg Hoiby is not part of the royal household. In that respect, he is independent. But of course we love him. He is an important part of our family,\u201d the crown prince said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he is a citizen of Norway. With that, he has the same responsibilities as everyone else, but also the same rights.\u201d<\/p>\n