Marius Borg Høiby: 4 Years in Prison After Verdict in Oslo

The charges against Høiby comprised a total of 40 counts, including four counts of rape, violation of privacy through photographic recordings, aggravated assault, stalking, threats, as well as drug and traffic offenses. Half of the charges alone concerned one of his ex-girlfriends, who was referred to in the trial as the "woman from Frogner." The prosecution had requested a conviction on 39 counts and a prison sentence of seven years and seven months, while the defense had pleaded for acquittal on all rape charges. Over the course of the 28 trial days, Høiby admitted to more than half of the allegations in whole or in part; regarding the rape charges, he denied any guilt. In his closing statement, his defense attorney Petar Sekulic had declared: "In keinem der vier Fälle" – the three judges saw things, at least in part, differently.

Defense Reaction and Appeal

Immediately after the verdict was announced, defense attorneys Petar Sekulic and Ellen Holager Andenæs visited their client in prison. Speaking to the newspaper "Dagbladet," they said Høiby was "sehr erfreut über die unserer Ansicht nach recht zahlreichen Freisprüche" but was "überzeugt, dass er bei den Vergewaltigungsvorwürfen eindeutig unschuldig ist." The lawyers announced that their client would file an appeal. An appeal hearing could begin in 2027, according to the defense. At the same time, immediately after the verdict, they filed a new request for the release of their client from pretrial detention, citing the poor health of his mother. Defense attorney Ellen Holager Andenæs stated: "Er will jetzt unbedingt raus."

At the center of the defense's argument is the family. "Er war schließlich angeklagt, und unter diesen Umständen ist es doch selbstverständlich, sich mental auf alles vorzubereiten," his lawyer said with regard to the verdict. As early as the beginning of May, Høiby had filed a request for release with an electronic ankle monitor, citing his mother's serious illness. An Oslo appeals court had rejected this, however, because "weiterhin eine hohe Wahrscheinlichkeit bestehe, dass Høiby im Falle seiner Freilassung neue Straftaten begehen werde," as reported by the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

Mette-Marit's State of Health

Mette-Marit suffers from an incurable pulmonary fibrosis, which was first diagnosed in 2018 and has worsened significantly in recent months. The 52-year-old is on the waiting list for a lung transplant and is increasingly canceling public engagements; in April, she appeared in public for the first time with an oxygen device. In a statement, she declared that she had "nicht gewusst, dass er ein Sexualstraftäter oder ein Pädophiler war." The Norwegian Royal Palace communicated, through communications advisor Simen Løvberg Sund: "Die Sache wurde vom Gericht behandelt. Das Königshaus hat keinen Kommentar zum Ergebnis."

Høiby had already been arrested for the first time in August 2024; the trial at the Oslo District Court began in February 2026 and spanned 28 court days. The charges went back as far as 2018. At that time, following an incident at the Crown Prince family's residence in Skaugum, Høiby had admitted in a statement that he had acted "nach einem Streit und unter dem Einfluss von Alkohol und Kokain." During the trial, he also acknowledged "psychische Probleme" and confessed that he quickly became angry, destroyed things, and shouted at those around him. Høiby himself described his prison conditions in a guest contribution to the Norwegian online newspaper "Nettavisen": "Im Gefängnis von Oslo werde ich isoliert und habe fast keinerlei sozialen Kontakt zu anderen Menschen."

Impact on the Norwegian Royal House

The case has also shaken the reputation of the Norwegian Royal House. According to a survey by "Nettavisen," only 37 percent of respondents now consider Mette-Marit suitable to become queen, with her popularity rating falling to 4.4. In an NRK poll, 36 percent said they had a more negative impression of the Royal House. Haakon, meanwhile, remains popular with a rating of 8.1; his father, the 89-year-old King Harald, received the top score of 9.2 on a scale of 1 to 10, and Queen Sonja 8.7. Norwegian royal house expert Skrede said with regard to the verdict: "Das ist natürlich sehr ernst für Marius Borg Høiby, und für das ganze Königshaus." A royal expert analyzed the case as follows: "Er wurde in eine quasi unmögliche Position gebracht: mit einem Fuß drinnen, mit einem draußen."

Marius Borg Høiby was born on January 13, 1997, in Oslo, the son of Mette-Marit and Morten Borg, who was serving a prison sentence at the time. At the age of four, he was catapulted into the public spotlight through his mother's marriage to Haakon, today's Crown Prince of Norway. Unlike his half-siblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra (22) and Prince Sverre Magnus (20), Høiby has no official function within the Royal House. The 22-year-old Ingrid Alexandra traveled back to Oslo specially from her study abroad at the University of Sydney to be closer to her family, as the court announced.

Media Interest and Societal Debate

The coverage of the trial was international and intense: 200 media representatives from around the world had accredited themselves for the trial in the Norwegian capital. Judge Efjestad remarked in this regard: "In dieser Weise über Dinge zu sprechen, die für die meisten Menschen sehr privat sind, ist furchtbar." The plaintiffs' representatives had also criticized the extreme media onslaught at the beginning and feared that sensitive data of the alleged victims could become public. May Britt Buhaug, Secretary General of a Norwegian women's protection organization, reported: "In unseren Frauengesundheitszentren gibt es eine Zunahme von Frauen, die sich mit uns in Verbindung setzen, um nach Erfahrungen mit Gewalt und sexuellem Missbrauch um Rat und Hilfe zu bitten." An observer put it this way: "Die Berichterstattung über solche Fälle scheint die Schwelle zu senken, um um Hilfe zu bitten. Das sei ein tragischer Fall, aber womöglich trage er dazu bei, die Kultur des Schweigens rund um Vergewaltigungen und Gewalt in Paarbeziehungen zu brechen."

The further course will now be decided by the appeals court, which, according to the defense, could hear the case no earlier than 2027. Until then, Høiby will remain in custody, provided his new release request is rejected. The Norwegian judiciary must now also rule on the question of damages claims, which following the verdict total 640,000 kroner.

Outlook: Appeal Proceedings and Open Questions

Høiby himself had, in tears during the trial, criticized the media for pursuing him since his childhood and taken his parents into protection. "Hoiby habe sein Leben 'in einer Art goldenem Käfig' verbracht," the Norwegian press quoted a royal expert. Royal expert Sigrid Hvidsten said, with regard to the defendant's particular situation: "Er wurde in eine quasi unmögliche Position gebracht: mit einem Fuß drinnen, mit einem draußen." As the Norwegian press further reported, Høiby also said he wanted to come home when "die Situation es erfordere."

It had already become known before the verdict that Mette-Marit had previously had contact with the U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. One observer commented on this with the words: "Es ist eine historisch schwierige Zeit für das Königshaus." The Crown Prince couple had only spoken publicly at the end of 2025, in a Norwegian television (NRK) program, about having taken Marius' problems seriously and having sought professional help.

The Norwegian court announced that it would not comment further publicly on the ongoing proceedings and