Crown Princess's Son Gets Four Years for Rape as Norwegian Royal Family Faces Another Blow

Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, was sentenced to four years in prison on Monday after being convicted of rape. The 29-year-old was found guilty of two of the four rape charges he was facing and acquitted of the other two.

Prosecutors had asked the Oslo District Court to sentence him to seven years and seven months. Defense lawyers had argued for acquittal on the rape allegations and no more than 18 months for the lesser offenses Høiby had admitted to.

Høiby faced 40 criminal charges in total, including four counts of rape and allegations involving violence, threats, and abuse. He had been charged with sexually assaulting four women who were asleep or otherwise unable to resist between 2018 and 2024. He denied the rape allegations but admitted to several of the lesser offenses.

The six-week trial concluded in March after testimony from multiple accusers and the presentation of evidence, including messages, images, and videos from Høiby's cellphone.

The case has generated intense international attention because of Høiby's connection to the royal family. Although he holds no royal title and has no official duties, he is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a relationship before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to Norway's throne. He grew up in the household with the future king.

Interest intensified in recent days as Mette-Marit's health deteriorated. The crown princess has pulmonary fibrosis and is awaiting a lung transplant. Her condition became a factor in legal arguments over whether her son should be granted temporary release from custody before the verdict. Appeals courts ruled that Høiby should remain detained while awaiting judgment.

The trial has also unfolded amid renewed scrutiny of the royal family following disclosures about Mette-Marit's past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased sex offender. She has publicly apologized for the association and said she exercised poor judgment in maintaining contact with him. She is not accused of any wrongdoing.

For now, the crown princess's son is heading to prison. The royal family's reputation, already battered by the Epstein revelations, has taken another hit. And in Oslo, the question lingers: how much more can one family endure before the institution itself starts to crack?

Written by Martina Kirchner martina.kirchner@alpineweekly.com