The eldest son of Norway’s crown princess has been sentenced to 4 years in prison after being found guilty on two counts of rape.
Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the throne within the Norwegian royal family.
He was facing 38 charges, including the rape of 4 women, assaulting and threatening a girlfriend and damaging her flat, drug charges and other driving offences.
Judges within the Oslo District Court cleared him of two other counts of rape, but he was found guilty of many other accusations.
Hoiby wasn’t in court for the decision, but appeared through video link.
His lawyers are expected to appeal the decision, having called for a term of just 18 months for the crime.
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The Norwegian royal family has repeatedly said that Høiby just isn’t a public figure, but his proximity to the monarchy has put his trial on the international stage.
He has no royal title or official duties and is outside the road of royal succession.
Who’s Marius Borg Høiby?
Born on January 13, 1997, to mum Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway and father Morten Borg, Høiby was not born into royalty.
But when his mother married Prince Haakon in 2001, he was thrust into the highlight, being considered by many as a royal, despite having no official titles.
He has no public role in royalty, but has been scrutinised by the media for years, having been related to gang members in 2023.
After allegations of assault emerged, it was revealed he had a previous arrest for using cocaine at a music festival in 2017.
His stepfather, Prince Haakon, said in a press release last week: ‘Marius Borg Hoiby just isn’t a part of the royal household. In that respect, he’s independent. But in fact we love him. He’s a crucial a part of our family.
‘And he’s a citizen of Norway. With that, he has the identical responsibilities as everyone else, but additionally the identical rights.’
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