Member of Norway royal family sentenced to four years for rape convictions

The eldest son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit was sentenced on Monday to four years in prison after being convicted of rape.

Marius Borg Høiby, 29, was found guilty of two of the four rape charges he faced, and acquitted of the other two. He was also convicted of assault and abuse in close relationships. In addition to the prison sentence, he was ordered to pay compensation to the victims.

Høiby is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway from a previous relationship and the stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway. He holds no royal title and performs no official duties.

He was charged with sexually assaulting four women who were asleep or otherwise unable to resist, with alleged offences taking place between 2018 and 2024. In total, he faced 40 criminal charges, including lesser offences such as assault, drug-related crimes, and violations of a restraining order.

Høiby denied the rape allegations but admitted to several of the lesser charges.

Prosecutors at the Oslo District Court had requested a sentence of seven years and seven months in prison, while defence lawyers argued he should be acquitted of the rape charges and receive no more than 18 months for the offences he admitted.

The sentence is not final, and Høiby may still appeal.

He was not present in court on Monday due to health reasons and followed the verdict via video link from prison.

The six-week trial concluded in March after testimony from multiple accusers and the presentation of evidence, including messages, images, and videos taken from Høiby’s mobile phone.

By Tamilla Hasanova