Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette Marit, has been convicted of two counts of rape and has received a four-year prison sentence.
The 29-year-old, who became part of the royal family when Mette-Marit wed Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, has refuted the most serious allegations against him, including the rape accusations, and retains the right to challenge the court’s decision.
Høiby, who was not physically present in court during the ruling but attended via video link, had previously requested release from custody to visit his critically ill mother.
Princess Mette-Marit, aged 52, is battling pulmonary fibrosis, a condition that causes progressive scarring and stiffening of lung tissue, necessitating her placement on a lung transplant waiting list.
Individuals on the transplant list typically suffer from advanced lung ailments and have a substantially reduced life expectancy without receiving a transplant, with many facing a high risk of death within two years.
Prosecutors had advocated for a prison term of seven years and seven months for Høiby, while his defense attorneys argued for a shorter sentence of 18 months.
The high-profile trial captivated Norway for weeks, revealing that Høiby had assaulted four women between 2018 and 2024 while they were asleep or incapacitated, with one alleged rape occurring in the basement of the crown prince’s family residence.
Moreover, he faced accusations of physically and psychologically abusing a former girlfriend from 2022 to 2023 and engaging in violent behavior towards another ex-partner.
His legal team maintained his innocence regarding all sexual abuse charges and most of the violence-related allegations.
Following his initial arrest in August 2024, Høiby’s lawyer released a statement indicating that he suffers from multiple mental disorders and has grappled with substance abuse for an extended period.
The trial coincided with Crown Princess Mette-Marit expressing regret for her association with convicted pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein after his 2008 conviction.
