Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Mette-Marit, has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of two counts of rape and several other offences by the Oslo District Court.
The 29-year-old was convicted by a three-judge panel sitting in courtroom 250 in Oslo. However, he was acquitted of two additional rape charges. Høiby attended the verdict hearing via video link and was not physically present in court.
Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of seven years and seven months, while his defence team argued for a significantly shorter term of 18 months. He retains the right to appeal the ruling.
Although Høiby grew up within Norway’s royal household after his mother married Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway when he was four years old, he does not hold a royal title or perform official royal duties.
The case has attracted significant public attention, particularly given the health challenges facing Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who is suffering from pulmonary fibrosis and has recently been placed on a lung transplant waiting list. Høiby’s lawyers had repeatedly requested his release from custody to allow him to spend time with his mother.
Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad opened Monday’s proceedings by summarising the court’s findings before presenting the detailed 128-page judgment.
Høiby had denied all four rape charges. However, the court found him guilty of raping two women, including one incident that occurred at the Crown Prince’s Skaugum estate in 2018 and another involving a woman in Oslo in 2024.
He was also convicted of abusing former girlfriend and Norwegian influencer Nora Haukland.
The court, however, cleared him of two other rape allegations involving women he reportedly met at a hotel in Oslo and while on holiday in Norway’s Lofoten Islands in 2023.
