 "Marius Borg Hoiby, son of Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship and the stepson of Norway's future king, Crown Prince Haakon, was arrested on suspicion of rape in the capital city of Oslo. File image/ AFP")
Norway’s royal family is at the centre of an intensifying scandal after the son of the country’s crown princess was arrested on suspicion of rape.
Marius Borg Hoiby, son of Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship and the stepson of Norway’s future king, Crown Prince Haakon, was arrested in the capital city of Oslo.
According to a statement by Norwegian police, based on preliminary investigation he is suspected of engaging in “sexual intercourse with someone who is unconscious or for other reasons unable to resist the act.”
The accusation further complicates the legal troubles surrounding Borg Hoiby, who has already faced multiple charges involving offences against four different people.
As the investigation unfolds, the case has intensified public scrutiny of Norway’s royal family and thrust Borg Hoiby’s actions into the spotlight.
A royal connect
Marius Borg Hoiby was born before his mother Mette-Marit married Crown Prince Haakon and became a princess in 2001.
At the time, Mette-Marit’s relationship with the Norwegian royal sparked considerable public interest. Much of the intrigue stemmed from her status as a single mother and her “wild past”, including a relationship with a man convicted of drug offences, as well as partying and drug use.
A week before the wedding, Mette-Marit addressed the media in a televised news conference. She condemned drug use and apologised for what she described as “living a dissolute life” prior to meeting the prince. Her candidness won over the press, who eventually celebrated her for her modern-day “Cinderella” story.
Hoiby, who was just four at the time, lived with his mother on royal property after marriage, sharing a home with his stepfather and his two half-siblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus. Despite his proximity to the royal family, Hoiby does not hold a royal title and has no official duties.
Now 27, Hoiby has previously made headlines, such as when he sold designer items on a Norwegian resale app, listing his address as the royal palace. He has also had a few brushes with fame, making a cameo appearance on a popular Norwegian teen TV show and featuring in a 2018 American Vogue article, offering tips on Oslo’s most stylish destinations.
Hoiby also appears regularly on Norwegian tabloids, sharing the limelight with his stepfather’s sister, Princess Martha Louise . She, too, has courted public curiosity, marrying an American who claims to be a “shaman” and has stated she can communicate with angels, according to an NBC News report.
The recent arrest
On Tuesday, Marius Borg Hoiby was taken into custody, accused of performing a “sexual act without intercourse” on a woman who was reportedly “unable to resist the act.”
According to the alleged victim’s lawyer, Hege Salomon, the woman—who is in her 20s—did not know Høiby before meeting him on the day of the alleged incident, she shared with CNN.
Salomon explained that the investigation was initiated by the police and that her client was fully cooperating with the ongoing case.
“She is going through hard times due to this case,” Salomon told The New York Times. “She is not a public person and hopes to keep her privacy.”
Høiby is currently being detained, according to police reports. His lawyer, Oyvind Bratlien, spoke to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, stating that Høiby denies all allegations.
In response to the charges, Crown Prince Haakon, who was in Jamaica for a United Nations programme, acknowledged that his stepson was facing “serious charges," adding that he trusted the authorities and the judiciary to do their jobs.
A troubled history
This is not the first time that Borg Hoiby has faced scrutiny from the authorities.
Reports indicate that he has been charged in connection with offences involving four different individuals: three women and one man, public radio NRK reported, adding that he has been accused of abuse in close relationships against all three women.
He was first arrested in August after a violent incident at an apartment in the capitol’s Frogner neighbourhood,
Norwegian media reports said police found a knife stuck into one of the walls of the woman’s bedroom at the time. He was arrested again in September for allegedly violating a restraining order.
Hoiby then issued an apology and pleaded guilty to the charges of causing bodily harm and destroying objects in the apartment while he was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine. He said he would seek treatment for substance abuse.
According to police, Hoiby was in a car with the alleged victim from the August incident when he was arrested on Tuesday.
Apart from this, two other women have also publicly accused Hoiby of physically and psychologically abusing them while they were dating him. He, however, denied the allegations.
That’s not all.
Moiby is also accused of giving a death threat against a man in his 20s in a separate incident. He has pleaded guilty to the charge.
These allegations have put the Norwegian Royal family in the public eye, and it remains to be seen how this recent incident unfolds to add a turbulent chapter.
With input from agencies