An Oslo court is set to deliver its verdict on Monday in the high-profile rape and violence case involving Marius Borg Hoiby, the son of Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit, in a scandal that has shaken the country’s monarchy, reports AFP.
Hoiby, 29, faced trial from 3 February to 19 March on 40 charges carrying a maximum prison sentence of 16 years. He is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a relationship before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon in 2001.
The court is expected to announce its decision at 8:30am local time. Hoiby, who has remained in custody since 1 February, will not attend the hearing in person due to unspecified medical reasons. He is expected to appear via video link.
Prosecutors have sought a prison sentence of seven years and seven months. The defence has requested acquittal on the rape and domestic abuse charges and argued for an 18-month sentence on the remaining offences.
Although Hoiby denied the most serious allegations, including rape accusations involving women whom prosecutors said were asleep or unconscious, he admitted to several offences. These include physical assaults, threats and transporting 3.5 kilograms of marijuana.
The trial exposed what prosecutors described as a lifestyle marked by excessive alcohol and drug use. During testimony, Hoiby told the court he had long sought recognition beyond being known as the Crown Princess’s son. He said this led him into a life of heavy drinking, drug use and numerous sexual relationships.
According to prosecutors, the alleged rapes occurred between 2018 and 2024, including one incident said to have taken place at the royal couple’s residence. They argued that consensual sexual encounters were followed by further sexual acts when the women appeared to be asleep or unconscious and therefore unable to give consent.
Much of the trial focused on the women’s level of awareness during the incidents and whether Hoiby could reasonably have understood their condition. In closing arguments, prosecutor Sturla Henriksbo described him as a man who believed he could do whatever he wanted.
Hoiby rejected that characterisation and repeatedly told the court he did not engage in sexual activity with women who were asleep. He also criticised intense media coverage, saying it had portrayed him as a monster and made him the target of public hatred across Norway.
The case emerged on 4 August 2024 when police arrested Hoiby on suspicion of assaulting his then-girlfriend at her Oslo apartment. Media reports later published photographs showing a knife embedded in a wall and a shattered chandelier.
Subsequently, another former partner, influencer Nora Haukland, accused him of physical and psychological abuse. Prosecutors later described the alleged conduct as a “reign of terror”. Hoiby acknowledged during the trial that jealousy sometimes caused him to lose control.
Police uncovered the rape allegations while examining videos stored on Hoiby’s phones and computers during the assault investigation. Investigators said the women involved had been unaware of the incidents depicted and had not initially filed complaints.
The case has embarrassed Norway’s royal family and contributed to a decline in public support, although the monarchy remains broadly popular. It also follows earlier scrutiny over Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s friendship with the late convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Ahead of the verdict, Hoiby sought temporary release from custody to be with his mother after her health deteriorated. The court rejected the request. Mette-Marit, 52, suffers from an incurable lung disease that causes breathing difficulties and has recently been placed on a waiting list for a lung transplant.
