Son of Norway’s crown princess jailed for four years after rape trial

The stepson of Norway’s next king has been jailed for four years after being found guilty of rape and other crimes following a seven-week criminal trial that has cast a dark shadow across one of Europe’s oldest monarchies.

Marius Borg Høiby, the 29-year-old stepson of Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon, joined the royal family when his mother Mette-Marit married Haakon in 2001.

Today, an Oslo court found him guilty of two counts of rape, domestic violence and other crimes and sentenced him to four years in prison.

He was acquitted on two other counts of rape.

Prosecutors had asked that Høiby be sentenced to seven years and seven months of prison.

He had admitted to some of the lesser crimes but pleaded not guilty to rape and the other most severe accusations, and has the right to appeal the sentence.

Høiby will likely remain behind bars for four weeks while his legal team considers an appeal.

He was denied release on compassionate grounds last week to be with his mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who was recently put on Norway’s national waiting list for a lung transplant.

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She has been fighting pulmonary fibrosis since 2018 but the condition deteriorated recently and doctors say a transplant is the only treatment that could save her life.

His defence attorney Petar Sekulic has confirmed they will request Høiby be released from custody.

Høiby was not in court for the verdict, but joined the session in Oslo via video link.

Three judges delivered the unanimous verdict, beginning the session around 30 minutes earlier than expected.

One of the judges, Jon Sverdrup Efjestad, delivered the verdict before reading the 128-page ruling explanation.

One of the rapes Høiby was found guilty of took place at Skaugum, the private home of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, in 2018.

In that case, the victim was asleep when she was sexually assaulted.

“She has closed her eyes, lies in the same position over time and shows no reactions to touch or stimulation. There are no sounds or movements that indicate she is awake,” Efjestad said.

Another involved a woman in Oslo in 2024.

The two rapes Høiby was acquitted of involved a woman he met at a hotel in Oslo and another he met while on holiday in the Lofoten islands in 2023.

He was also convicted of abusing an ex-girlfriend, Nora Haukland.

Høiby was also found guilty of gross bodily harm against a woman known only as the “Frogner woman” in Oslo following an incident on August 4, 2024, the day he was first arrested.

“The court finds it proven that the violence took place as the victim described, and that the defendant acted intentionally,” Efjestad said.

“The court considers the bodily harm to be serious, especially because it is in the nature of abuse.”

The other charges he was found guilty of include domestic violence, assault, a death threat, intimidation, vandalism, photographing and filming women’s genitalia, insulting a police officer, violation of restraining orders, traffic offences and drugs charges. In total he was facing 38 charges.

Høiby has also been ordered to pay compensation to three of the six victims, totalling around $100,000.

Høiby was four years old when his mother married into Norway’s royal family.

Though he’s never held a royal title or carried out official duties, Høiby was raised alongside the Crown Prince couple’s two other children Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 20.

He was a fixture at family-related events with King Harald V, 89, and Queen Sonja, 88, and the crown prince couple over the years, including Norway’s biggest celebration, Constitution Day.

In 2017, Høiby stepped back from public life after struggling to establish a role for himself, having been part of the royal family but without a title.

He soon found himself in trouble with the law and later spoke about his mental health issues and battles with alcohol and drugs.

When Høiby was arrested in August 2024 he became the first member of Norway’s royal family to be charged with a crime.

His legal team had called for a sentence of 18 months, arguing Høiby had lived under extraordinary media pressure due to his royal connections, which they said has shaped public perception of the case.

Høiby’s mother and stepfather did not attend court as the royal family attempted to maintain its distance from the spectacle.

Recently his sister Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who is second-in-line to the throne, returned to Oslo from Australia.

The princess had moved to Australia in late July to begin a three-year degree at Sydney University.

In May, she carried out her first public − and possibly last − engagement in Australia.

She returned home to be with her mother and will continue her degree on exchange at the University of Oslo.

Although her father Crown Prince Haakon told the media his daughter does plan on returning to Australia to finish her degree, it’s unlikely at this stage.

“In the time to come they [Ingrid Alexandra and Sverre Magnus] will both be needed to keep the wheels of the monarchy turning and I personally doubt it will be possible for the princess to resume her studies in Australia, as Sydney is simply too far away from Oslo for her to be able to combine her studies with royal duties,” Norwegian historian and author Trond Norén Isaksen recently told nine.com.au.

The monarchy is undoubtedly dealing with its toughest period in generations, facing scandal and scrutiny on multiple fronts.

In late 2025, the Crown Princess’ past friendship with Jeffrey Epstein was exposed leading to questions over whether Mette-Marit was unsuitable for the role of queen, when the time comes.

Høiby will soon be moved to Ila Prison, a maximum security facility housing Norway’s worst offenders, as Oslo Prison is due to be demolished.

The relocation will put Høiby closer to his family home.