Son of Norway’s crown princess pleads not guilty in Oslo trial

Marius Borg Høiby, 29, the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, pleaded not guilty on February 3 as his trial opened in Oslo on a sweeping 38-count indictment that includes four counts of rape alongside charges of assault, domestic abuse, threats and drug offences. Prosecutor Sturla Henriksbø read the list of charges in courtroom 250 at Oslo District Court, and Høiby replied "no" when asked to enter pleas to the most serious allegations.

The indictment, filed after a lengthy investigation that led to an initial indictment in August 2025 and additions in January 2026, alleges multiple sexual assaults between 2018 and 2024. Prosecutors say four alleged rapes occurred between 2018 and November 2024; one of the rape counts is described as involving intercourse and three as without intercourse. Authorities also added a charge in January of possessing and transporting 3.5 kilograms of marijuana. Prosecutors have said a conviction on the most serious counts could carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Courtroom procedure on the first day underscored the case's gravity. Høiby stood for some 24 minutes as the charges were read aloud. The court barred photographs as he entered, and judges ordered that he spend the first four weeks of the trial in custody after an arrest two days before the hearing on suspicion of assault, making threats with a knife and violating a restraining order. The trial will be heard by a panel of three judges and is scheduled to run into mid-March, with the court calendar set through March 19.

Prosecutors say seven alleged victims are expected to give testimony during the multiweek proceedings. The first witness, a woman who says she was raped at a party in 2018, told the court in tears that she had no recollection of what happened after an earlier sexual encounter that lasted "a matter of seconds." The emotional testimony set a tone of seriousness for a trial that carries sensitivity both for alleged victims and for the royal family.

Høiby admitted guilt or pleaded guilty to several lesser offences on the opening day, including multiple driving offences, breaking a restraining order and an aggravated drugs offence. He also pleaded guilty to one count of offensive sexual behaviour and acknowledged partial guilt to aggravated assault and reckless behaviour under a plea provision in Norwegian law that allows partial admissions. Defence lawyers said some allegations relate to consensual encounters and disputed other claims.

"Our client denies all charges of sexual abuse, as well as the majority of the charges regarding violence," defence counsel Petar Sekulic said when the indictment was handed up. Defence lawyers told the court they view the incidents as "completely normal and voluntary sexual relations" and warned that Høiby had already been subjected to "prejudicial treatment from the media."

The Royal House has indicated Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit will not attend the hearings and will not comment during the proceedings. That posture reflects a desire to balance privacy and institutional distance amid intense public scrutiny.

The trial will proceed with witness testimony and evidentiary hearings over the coming weeks. The charges, the mix of admissions and denials, and the family connection ensure sustained attention as the court weighs complex questions of consent, credibility and criminal responsibility.