The son of Norway’s Crown Princess has gone on trial on charges of rape, domestic violence, assault and drug possession.
Marius Borg Høiby took the stand at a court in Oslo this week to enter a not guilty plea to four counts of rape and one of domestic violence, while admitting a number of lesser offences.
The 29 year-old’s trial has been described as “the biggest scandal the Norwegian royals ever had”. It comes as the royal family faces increased scrutiny over his mother the crown princess’ ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Here’s what we know about Høiby and the case against him.
Who is Marius Borg Høiby?
Marius is the son of Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, the Crown Princess of Norway and stepson to Haakon, the Crown Prince and heir to the Norwegian monarchy.
Because Marius is only related to the royal family by marriage, he possesses no royal titles and is outside of the line of succession.
His mother was a waitress at the the time she met his father Morten Borg, a convicted felon and cocaine dealer. Borg was said to have been in prison when his son was born.
Mette-Marit was introduced to Borg by her former fiance John Ognby, another convicted felon, with whom she split up after he allegedly chased her down the street with a knife.
She met the Crown Prince of Norway, Haakon Magnus, through mutual friends in 1999 and married in 2001. They have two children together; Princess Ingrid Alexandra born in 2004 and Prince Sverre Magnus born in 2005.
When the couple entered the public spotlight, Marius was nicknamed “Little Marius” in the media after an illegitimate child in the 1883 novel Poison.
Marius is rarely seen in public, in contrast to his half-siblings, due to his lack of royal title.
Marius briefly studied business in the US in 2017 but dropped out without completing his degree.
He worked as an intern for German fashion designer Philipp Plein and then as a style editor for UK-based fashion magazine Tempus. When he was referred to as the prince of Norway in the publication, the magazine was forced to remove every such reference from print and digital editions after backlash.
In 2017, Marius was convicted and fined for drug possession after being arrested at the Palmesus festival.
Crown Prince Haakon said of Marius ahead of the current trial: “We love him. He is an important part of our family. He is a Norwegian citizen, so he has the same responsibilities as everyone else, as well as the same rights.”
He said of the alleged victims: “We think about them, we know many are going through a difficult time.”
What are the charges against him?
Høiby faces 38 charges at the Oslo district court. On Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape and one of domestic violence.
He pleaded guilty to one count of offensive sexual behaviour, driving too fast and driving without a valid license, among other charges. He also said he was partially guilty - a plea allowed under Norwegian law - of aggravated assault and reckless behaviour.
The proceedings will take place over a period of seven weeks, and Marius is expected to testify on Wednesday.
The most serious allegations include rape and sexual intercourse while a woman was unconscious in October 2023 and three counts of rape by sexual assault on incapacitated women in December 2018, March 2024 and November 2024.
Høiby could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted in the trial, which is scheduled to last until 19 March. Seven alleged victims are expected to testify.
“There is equality before the law,” lead prosecutor Sturla Henriksboe told the court. “The defendant is the son of the crown princess. He is part of the royal family. He shall nevertheless be treated in the same way as any other person who is charged with the same offences.”
On Sunday, Høiby was detained on separate allegations, on suspicion of assault, making threats with a knife and violating a restraining order. He was placed on remand for four weeks.
Crown Princess’ ties to Epstein
Høiby’s mother the Crown Princess is mentioned hundreds of times in the latest tranche of Epstein files released by the US justice department at the end of January.
In 2012, according to the documents, Mette-Marit asked Epstein about Marius, questioning if it were “inappropriate for a mother to suggest two naked women carrying a surfboard for my 15 yr old sons wallpaper?”.
He replied: “Let them decide, mother shoudl [sic] stay out of it”.
The files also revealed that Mette-Marit spent four days in Epstein’s house in Palm Beach, Miami in January 2013.
The royal has since issued a statement, saying she “showed poor judgement” over he contact with the disgraced billionaire and offering her sympathy to his victims.
“Jeffrey Epstein is personally responsible for his actions,” she said. “I must take responsibility for not checking Epstein's background more closely and for not understanding quickly enough what kind of person he was. I deeply regret that, and this is a responsibility I must take.”
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