Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been charged with 32 offences, including four counts of rape, according to a prosecutor. The charges also involve alleged abuse of a former partner and violations of restraining orders regarding another former partner. Høiby, who is 28 and was born from a relationship prior to his mother’s marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, is set to plead guilty to some lesser charges, although he denies the more serious allegations, as stated by his lawyer, Petar Sekulic.
If convicted of the most serious charges, Høiby could face up to 10 years in prison. Among the allegations are claims that he filmed the genitals of several women without their knowledge or consent. Sekulic indicated that Høiby disagrees with the accusations related to rape and domestic violence.
Crown Prince Haakon commented on the situation, emphasizing that it is up to the courts to determine the outcome and acknowledging the difficulties faced by all involved, as reported by Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. The alleged rapes are said to have occurred between 2018 and 2024, with one incident reportedly happening after Høiby’s arrest.
Høiby was arrested three times in 2022, in August, September, and November, and had been under investigation since his initial arrest on suspicion of assault. In June, police announced that he was suspected of three rapes and 23 additional offences. The prosecutor has indicated that the trial could commence in January and is expected to last about six weeks.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg3ke05355o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss