Norway royal crisis as Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s son accused of rape

The Norwegian royal household is going through an unusually turbulent second as Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s son prepares to go on trial this week on a number of prison prices, together with rape, simply as just lately launched Jeffrey Epstein paperwork have revived the investigation into the princess’s earlier contact with him.

The defendant, Marius Borg Høiby, will seem in Oslo District Courtroom on Tuesday after prices had been filed final summer season after a prolonged investigation. Høiby will not be a part of the royal household and has no official position.

Authorities arrested Høiby a number of occasions in 2024 as accusations mounted, though he was not held in custody whereas prosecutors constructed their case.

Prosecutors accuse Høiby of committing a number of sexual assaults over a interval of a number of years and of violent and threatening conduct towards former companions. The alleged incidents final from 2018 to the top of 2024 and embrace allegations of violating a restraining order.

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Norway’s Marius Borg Hoiby and Crown Princess Mette-Marit in Oslo, June 16, 2022. (Lise Aserud/NTB by way of AP)

If convicted, the 29-year-old may face a jail sentence of as much as ten years. The authorized proceedings are anticipated to final till mid-March.

After the indictment, lawyer Petar Sekulic stated his consumer denies all allegations of sexual abuse and disputes most prices associated to violence.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway visits the Worldwide Library Of Vogue in Stasjonsmestesterbygningen in Oslo on January 24, 2025. (Rune Hellestad/Corbis/Getty Photographs)

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The case has confirmed embarrassing for a monarchy that sometimes enjoys robust public assist in Norway and attracts sustained media consideration each at residence and overseas.

That focus additional intensified final week with the discharge of a brand new sequence of information associated to Epstein. The paperwork include a whole lot of references to Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who has beforehand acknowledged and regretted her contact with Epstein.

Crown Prince Hakon Magnus and Crown Princess Mette-Marit attend the Save the Kids Peace Prize Social gathering on the Nobel Peace Heart on December 10, 2024 in Oslo, Norway. (In accordance with Ole Hagen/Getty Photographs)

The information, together with e-mail correspondence, present that Mette-Marit spent a number of days in Epstein’s Palm Seaside, Florida, property in early 2013 – a go to the royal family stated was organized by means of a mutual pal, in response to Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

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In feedback to The Related Press, Mette-Marit stated she had not adequately investigated Epstein’s background on the time and expressed remorse concerning the affiliation, calling it an embarrassing lapse in judgment. She additionally stated she deeply sympathizes with the victims of Epstein’s abuse.

The Related Press contributed to this report.