Son of Norway’s crown princess charged with 32 offences, including rape

Son of Norway’s crown princess charged with four counts of rape

 

Marius Borg Høiby charged with 32 offences and could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty

 

Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent

Mon 18 Aug 2025 16.23 BST

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/18/son-norway-crown-princess-charged-offences-marius-borg-hoiby

 

Marius Borg Høiby, the son of the Norwegian crown princess, has been charged with 32 offences including four counts of rape, a prosecutor has said.

 

Høiby, whose mother is the crown princess, Mette-Marit, and whose stepfather is the crown prince, Haakon, Norway’s future king, is expected to stand trial early next year and could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of the most serious charges.

 

The charges, made public on Monday, include the rape of four different women, domestic abuse of a former partner, and illegally filming a number of women, including their genitals, without their knowledge or consent.

 

He is also charged with harassment of police and traffic violations.

 

Høiby’s lawyer, Petar Sekulic, who is representing him together with Ellen Holager Andaenæs, said: “Our client denies all charges of sexual abuse, as well as the majority of the charges regarding violence. He will present a detailed account of his version of events before the court.”

 

In June, Høiby was charged with 23 offences, including three counts of rape, by the police prosecutor before the case was sent to the state prosecutor.

 

Høiby is alleged to have raped four women between 2018 and November 2024. All the alleged assaults allegedly took place after consensual intercourse while the women were sleeping. Høiby is accused of filming all the women during the alleged rapes.

 

As he presented the indictment against Høiby on Monday, the state attorney Sturla Henriksbø said: “This case is very serious. Rape and violence in close relationships are very serious acts that can leave lasting traces and destroy lives.”

 

Høiby’s status as part of the royal family, he added, would “not mean that he is treated more leniently or strictly than if similar acts were committed by others”.

 

The maximum penalty for the charges in the indictment is 10 years in prison, Henriksbø said.

 

The state prosecutor, who is understood to have spent the last month and a half deliberating over whether Høiby would be indicted and on what charges, said the trial could take place in January over approximately six weeks.

 

Hoiby does not have a royal title and is outside the line of royal succession. The Norwegian royal court said: “It is for the courts to consider this matter and reach a decision. We have no further comment.”