Prosecutors in Norway have detailed four charges of rape against the son of Norway's Crown Princess in the biggest case to come to court here for years. Marius Borg Høiby appeared in court to deny the most serious of the 38 offences he is accused of. The court also heard evidence from a woman he is alleged to have raped in 2018.
He is not a member of the royal family himself. His lawyer said he was a young man who deserved a fair trial and condemned press treatment of him.
The trial comes against a backdrop of almost daily revelations surrounding him and his mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who is facing increasing criticism after it emerged she was cited in hundreds of emails showing extensive contacts with late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mette-Marit, who married the crown prince when her son was four, has admitted showing poor judgement, but the fallout has already begun.
Heavy court restrictions have been imposed on the trial, with a ban on any photos of the defendant inside or outside court. As the charges were read out, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the four accusations of rape, speaking very quietly.
Høiby partially admitted charges relating to a woman in Frogner in western Oslo in August 2024, admitting bodily harm but denying abuse. He admitted to several other allegations, including violating a restraining order, transporting marijuana, and speeding.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre urged Mette-Marit to explain the extent of the contacts that have taken place, pointing to a worrisome narrative surrounding the royal family's recent history.
