Norway's Crown Princess son convicted of rape, sentenced to four years
Oslo sentenced Marius Borg Høiby to four years after convicting the crown princess’s son of two rapes, a rare test of equality before the law.
Norway’s justice system delivered a rare verdict at the edge of the royal household, convicting Marius Borg Høiby of two counts of rape and sentencing him to four years in prison. The 29-year-old son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who has no royal title and no official duties, now faces the same punishment any other defendant would receive for grave sexual violence.
The Oslo District Court handed down the sentence after a six-week trial that ended in March 2026. Høiby had faced 40 criminal charges in all, including four rape counts, domestic abuse, violence, threats, vandalism, drug offenses, breaches of restraining orders and secretly recording women without their consent. Prosecutors had asked for seven years and seven months in prison, while his defense sought acquittal on the rape allegations and no more than 18 months for the offenses he admitted.
The rape charges involved four different women between 2018 and 2024. During the trial, prosecutors presented messages, images and videos taken from Høiby’s cellphone, building a case that drew intense attention far beyond Oslo because of his family connection. Høiby denied the rape accusations, but admitted lesser offenses including drug-related crimes, traffic violations, assault, vandalism and restraining-order breaches. He was first arrested in August 2024 on suspicion of assaulting a girlfriend, an arrest that set off a sprawling investigation and eventually the charges heard this year.
The royal palace had said it was up to the courts to decide the case, and Crown Prince Haakon said the family was prepared for the verdict. The case has been especially difficult for the family because Crown Princess Mette-Marit has pulmonary fibrosis and is awaiting a lung transplant, leaving the monarchy to absorb a legal and personal crisis at the same time.
The verdict also lands as scrutiny of the royal family has deepened after disclosures about Mette-Marit's past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein. For many Norwegians, the outcome is less about palace drama than institutional credibility: whether the country’s courts could treat a royal relative like any other defendant, and show that status does not override accountability.
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