Norwegian crown princess's rape-convict son gets 4-year jail term
What's the story
Marius Borg Hoiby, the 29-year-old son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been convicted of two counts of rape and sentenced to four years in prison by the Oslo District Court. The court cleared him of two other rape charges but found him guilty on several other offenses he had been accused of. He was convicted of assault and abuse in close relationships and ordered to pay compensation to the victims.
Case details
Hoiby convicted of raping 2 women
Hoiby was convicted of raping two women—one at the Crown Prince's estate in Skaugum in 2018 and another woman in Oslo in 2024. He was also found guilty of abusing his ex-girlfriend, Norwegian influencer Nora Haukland. However, he was acquitted on two other rape charges involving a woman whom he met at a hotel in Oslo in November 2024 and another whom he met during a holiday in 2023.
Trial proceedings
Hoiby denied all rape charges during trial
Hoiby had denied all four rape charges against him while admitting to some lesser ones. He can appeal the verdict. The case exposed Hoiby's drug addiction, self-made recordings of sexual encounters, and over 800 electronic messages entered into evidence. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of seven years and seven months, but Hoiby's defense attorneys argued for an acquittal on the rape charges with a maximum sentence of 18 months for lesser offenses.
Verdict absence
Trial lasted 6 weeks, several accusers testified against him
The trial lasted six weeks and concluded in March with several accusers testifying against Hoiby. Evidence from his cell phone, including messages, images, and videos, was presented in court. In February, one woman testified how Høiby "wouldn't stop" after they initially had consensual sex in her hotel room on November 1, 2024, according to AFP. "I was getting more and more tired. I felt like I was just lying there, and he just wouldn't stop," she told the courthouse.
Royal response
Crown Prince Haakon on son not being royal
Hoiby was not present during the verdict announcement, which his defense said was for health reasons. In 2001, Crown Princess Mette-Marit married Haakon, the Norwegian Crown Prince and heir to the throne, bringing Høiby into the royal family. The royal couple had earlier announced they would not attend Hoiby's trial. The Crown Prince had clarified that "Marius Borg Hoiby is not a member of the Royal House of Norway and is therefore autonomous."