Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Norway’s crown princess Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, was sentenced to four years in jail on Monday. This comes after the 29-year-old was convicted of two counts of rape by a Norwegian court.
While the stepson of Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon was acquitted of two other counts of rape, a court in Oslo convicted him of domestic abuse against an ex-girlfriend, issuing threats and traffic violations.
While prosecutors called for a seven-year and seven-month jail term, defence lawyers argued that Høiby should be acquitted of the rape allegations and receive no more than 18 months for offences he had admitted to.
Høiby had been charged with sexually assaulting four women who were asleep or otherwise unable to resist between 2018 and 2024.
The son of the Norwegian royal also faced other charges for lesser offences, such as assault, drug-related crimes and violations of a restraining order.
Totalling it all, the 29-year-old faced 40 criminal charges, including four counts of rape and allegations involving violence, threats and abuse.
Høiby denied the rape allegations but admitted to several of the lesser offences
Who is Marius Borg Høiby?
Marius Borg Høiby is the son of Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship.
Høiby became part of the royal family after Mette-Marit married Norway’s crown prince, Haakon. While Høiby grew up in the household with the future king, he holds no royal titles nor official duties.
The stepson of the Norwegian prince has been involved in a series of criminal matters since 2017, such as drug use, breaching a restraining order and violence.
The court case against him began in August 2025, after he was indicted on four counts of rape, domestic violence and abuse in intimate relationships and dozens of additional offences.
As per Norwegian media, Hoiby pleaded not guilty to the rape charges but admitted to lesser offences, including aggravated assault, reckless behaviour, and transporting marijuana.
Popularity of royal family tanks amid court case, Epstein link
The charges against Marius severely damaged the Royal family’s popularity in Norway.
A Norstat survey released on February 21, conducted during Hoiby’s trial, showed a decline in the number of Norwegians who favoured keeping the monarchy from 70 per cent in January to 60 per cent in February.
Norwegians who want a change in the system of governance increased from 19 per cent to 27 per cent, Norstat added.
This change also reflected the sentiment in the Nordic country after the crown princess apologised for “her poor judgment” in maintaining contact with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after he was convicted in 2008.
While the image of the family slightly recovered to 64 per cent in favour and 23 per cent against due to the announcement of Mette-Marit’s illness.
The crown princess suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, a condition that makes it increasingly difficult to breathe, and was put on the national lung transplant list this month.
As per her doctors, the crown princess may have around a year left to live if she does not receive a transplant.
