Son of Norway’s crown princess is found guilty of rape and jailed for four years

The son of Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of rape.

Marius Borg Høiby, 29, was today found guilty of two counts of rape after a seven-week trial that shook Norway and revealed naked allegations of violence, drug use and sexual harassment.

The Oslo court also found him guilty of assaulting and threatening his ex-girlfriend Nora Haukland and committing traffic offenses, but he was also acquitted of two other rape charges.

The conviction marks a decline for Høiby, who grew up in the public eye after his mother married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001 when he was just four years old.

Although he does not hold a royal title or perform official duties, he has long been closely associated with the Norwegian royal family.

Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad handed down the sentence after hearing evidence on 40 charges, including four counts of rape, assault, breach of restraining orders, drug offenses and driving offences. A charge of violation of a restraining order was overturned.

Investigators presented more than 800 messages and a series of self-made videos of sexual encounters as evidence during the trial, as the court heard how Høiby’s drug addiction had increased in recent years.

The court was told that an alleged rape took place in the basement of the Crown Prince’s family home.

Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s health has deteriorated and she is on the lung transplant list (pictured in May)

The Noweg royal family is pictured during the confirmation of Princess Ingrid Alexandra (centre) in 2019.

Høiby, who denied the most serious allegations while admitting some lesser offences, was not physically present in court for the verdict and instead attended proceedings via video link.

The decision comes at a particularly difficult time for Høiby’s mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, whose health has deteriorated sharply in recent months.

He suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive lung disease that makes breathing increasingly difficult. He was placed on Norway’s national lung transplant waiting list after his condition worsened earlier this month.

Last week, the Oslo District Court initially approved Høiby’s release from custody so he could spend time with his mother, who was awaiting a transplant. But prosecutors appealed the decision and a high court overturned it, meaning he would remain behind bars ahead of Monday’s ruling.

The royal family also faces renewed scrutiny over Mette-Marit’s past relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, increasing pressure around one of the most damaging scandals to hit the Norwegian monarchy in decades.