Newsroom
The stepson of Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon has been found guilty of two counts of rape and other offenses and sentenced to four years in prison in a ruling issued by an Oslo court on Monday.
Marius Borg Høiby, 29, who became part of Norway’s royal family when his mother, Mette-Marit, married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, denied the most serious charges against him, including rape. He has the right to appeal the verdict.
The case has drawn widespread attention in Norway due to Høiby’s connection to the royal family, which is generally popular and closely followed by the public.
Mette-Marit was 25 years old and a single mother when she met Haakon in 1999 at a music festival. Their relationship at the time sparked significant media attention and public debate, but over the years it became widely accepted by Norwegians and is now seen as part of the modern history of the monarchy.
The ruling adds further pressure on the royal household, as Crown Princess Mette-Marit, now 52, is also dealing with serious health issues. She suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease that has worsened in recent years, and is currently on a waiting list for a lung transplant.
Høiby, who has lived partly in the public eye due to his family ties, faces the possibility of further legal proceedings if he chooses to appeal the decision.
