Disclaimer: this article contains themes of sexual violence
Marius Borg Høiby is the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of Crown Prince Haakon.
The Norwegian royal family has been the subject of headlines this week, as Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, was charged with multiple counts of rape, sexual assault and bodily harm.
Høiby's 23 charges allegedly include one count of rape with intercourse, two counts of rape without intercourse, four counts of sexually offensive behaviour and two cases of bodily harm.
The charges, announced in a press conference by Oslo police on Friday 27 June, come after a 10 month investigation, with Høiby, 28, being looked into following three arrests in 2024.
Oslo Police District reported that their investigation was "thorough", with a "large number of witness interviews, several searches and a review of extensive digital material".
They also confirmed that the case involved a "double-digit" number of alleged victims, with Oslo police attorney Andreas Kruszewski stating: "I cannot go into further detail about the number of victims in the case beyond confirming that it is a double-digit number."
Following the news of the charges against Høiby, the Royal House of Norway issued a brief statement to media outlet, NRK.
"The case is taking its course in the legal system, and follows normal procedures," it read. "We have nothing more to add."
Høiby's lawyer, Petar Sekulic, has reportedly added via the Times that the 28-year-old was "taking the accusations very seriously, but doesn’t acknowledge any wrongdoing in most of the cases — especially the cases regarding sexual abuse and violence."
The Norwegian royal family has reportedly not been brought forward for questioning, per a report from NRK, with police attorney Andreas Kruszewski releasing the following statement to the outlet.
"The reason we have not questioned other members of the royal family than Høiby is that it is our assessment that their possible explanations would contribute very little to clarifying the cases."
Høiby does not have a public role in the Norwegian royal family, nor is he in the line of succession.
We will continue to update this report.
