Marius Borg Høiby, the twenty-nine-year-old son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of two counts of rape. The verdict was delivered by three judges in courtroom 250 at the Oslo District Court on Monday. The ruling, detailed in a 128-page document, concluded the trial which had drawn significant public and media attention. While the court convicted him on two counts, he was acquitted of two other separate charges of rape.
The session was presided over by Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad, who provided a summary of the conclusions before releasing the extensive ruling. Høiby did not appear in person for the verdict, citing unspecified health reasons, and instead joined the legal proceedings via video link. The prosecution had originally sought a sentence of seven years and seven months. His defense team had argued for a shorter term of eighteen months and has indicated they may appeal the verdict.
Although Høiby is not a member of the royal family in an official capacity, he has been a prominent figure in the public eye since his mother married Crown Prince Haakon when he was four years old. The trial has caused considerable unease within the broader royal circle. Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been battling pulmonary fibrosis and is currently on a waiting list for a lung transplant. Defense lawyers had previously requested Høiby`s release to allow him to support his mother given her health, but the Supreme Court overturned a lower court`s decision to release him.
The court found Høiby guilty of raping two women, one incident occurring at the Skaugum estate in 2018 and another in Oslo in 2024. In addition to the rape convictions, he was found guilty of abusing his ex-girlfriend, Norwegian influencer Nora Haukland, and causing serious bodily harm to another partner during an incident in August 2024 in Oslo. He was cleared of two other rape charges, which were alleged to have taken place in 2023 and 2024.
The prosecution`s case relied heavily on video evidence recorded by Høiby at the time of the incidents. During the trial in February, one of the victims testified that she was asleep during the assault and would not have consented to the encounter. The verdict concluded a difficult period of legal proceedings involving claims from six different women. While Høiby denied all charges throughout the trial, the court`s decision marks the end of the legal process regarding these specific criminal counts.
