UPDATED: Marius Borg Høiby, the oldest son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, will be spending at least the next week in jail after he was arrested Monday night for the third time this autumn. Now Høiby also faces new charges of rape and domestic violence, plus another violation of a restraining order against him.
The Oslo County Court ordered Wednesday night that Høiby be held in custody for at least a week while police continue to investigate all the expanded charges against him. The latest is a second rape charge disclosed by police on Wednesday involving another young woman who was incapable of defending herself.
Prosecutor Andreas Kruszewski told reporters at the courthouse that the two new rape charges prompted police to seek court approval to jail Høiby for the next two weeks. After several hours of deliberation, the court went along with one week with a ban on any visitors or mail, but as in all custody cases, that may be extended as the police investigation proceeds.
The drama within the Norwegian royal family thus continues, after police also ransacked the house where Høiby has been living on the grounds of the crown couple’s estate where he grew up at Skaugum, west of Oslo. Høiby, now age 27 and unemployed, underwent another round of police questioning Tuesday afternoon and was in court Wednesday afternoon for his custody hearing.
Kruszewski earlier confirmed that police had also seized a mobile phone found at Høiby’s residence. On it, reports state broadcaster NRK, is what police believe is video evidence of sexual assaults now involving two women earlier this year. Høiby has denied the new rape charges against him but has acknowledged earlier charges of physical assault, vandalism, making threats, reckless behaviour and violation of a restraining order against him. His alleged victims now include five women (three of them former girlfriends) and a man who was the alleged target of death threats from Høiby.
Kjetil Kolsrud, who specializes in covering the judicial system and runs the website Rett24, called the latest arrest of Høiby and the new charges against him “a serious development” in the expanding case against the crown princess’ son. Høiby has admitted to having a history of drug use and police had what they called “a conversation” with him last year. It wasn’t until August 4, however, that his troubles erupted and went very public after police were called to the apartment of his girlfriend at the time. He later admitted to having trashed it and assaulting her while under the influence of cocaine and alcohol.
Shortly after he was charged in the case but released, two other former girlfriends came forward with their stories of abuse and domestic violence. By the end of last week Høiby had also been arrested for a second time and charged in those cases along with making alleged death threats against a man and violating a restraining order against his victim on August 4.
Then a fourth woman, and this week a fifth, were called in by police after their investigation revealed alleged rapes carried out by Høiby. Police arrested Høiby again late Monday night and have charged him with sexual assault, a third case of violence in a close relationship and another violation of the restraining order against him regarding his victim on August 4. State broadcaster NRK and other media reported later Tuesday night that she was in the car with him when he was arrested for the third time, and repeated that he has denied the new charges against him. Her lawyer told NRK that she had also been questioned again on Tuesday.
The Royal Palace remains mostly mum on the case, but Høiby’s step-father Crown Prince Haakon answered a few questions while on a UN-sponsored visit to Jamaica on Tuesday. “These are serious charges that Marius faces now,” he told NRK. “Today we are of course thinking about everyone involved this case.” On Wednesday he met briefly with reporters again and indicated the royal family had tried to help Høiby and get him into rehabilitation. That clearly failed.
Crown Prince Haakon repeated that it was important for police and the court system “to be allowed to do their job, and I have confidence they’ll do a good job. This of course affects all of us.” He said he wished he was “home together with Mette today. I miss her.” Asked whether he and Crown Princess Mette-Marit had been tipped in advance that her son was about to be arrested again (as they were on first occasion), he said “we were not warned about this.”
Police had told news bureau NTB earlier this week that they couldn’t say when they’d be finished with their investigations into all the charges against Høiby, or when a court case against him may begin.
One of his alleged victims, meanwhile, told newspaper Aftenposten late last week that she had warned the crown couple last year about Høiby’s drug problems and asked for their help. Nora Haukland had a relationship with Høiby from the spring of 2022 to the summer of 2023.
“I told them that he had to get into rehabilitation,” she told Aftenposten. “Everything got even worst after we’d broken up, and it seemed like he was out of control.” She has accused Høiby of both physical and psychological violence, and said she was often afraid of him, opting to lock herself into a bedroom or bathroom.
‘Turbulent’ relationships
Høiby’s defense attorney Øyvind Bratlien has described Høiby’s relationships with both Haukland and Julianne Snekkestad as “turbulent,” but that Høiby denies having done anything against them that’s punishable under law. Snekkestad has said that she also warned the crown couple about Høiby’s aggression and violence.
Haukland told Aftenposten that the crown couple “said they would try. We all tried to get him into rehabilitation, but you can’t force a grown man. It’s respectless av Marius not to take responsibility and do something to get better. Otherwise this just continues to keep affecting others.” She added that “he’s not lille Marius (little Marius) any longer. He’s a grown man and must take responsibility for his own actions. I hope he does.”
Royal Palace staff denied further comment, referring only to the brief comments already made by Crown Prince Haakon. Crown Princess Mette-Marit has refused all comment and King Harald made only a veiled reference to the family crisis during a recent address to members of Parliament.
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund
