Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of 34 offences, including two counts of rape, domestic violence, and sexual assault. The verdict was delivered by Oslo District Court on Monday, nearly three months after his six-week trial.
The court convicted Høiby of assaulting his former girlfriend Nora Haukland, the only victim publicly named. He was ordered to pay Haukland and three other women a total of 640,000 kroner (about £50,000) in compensation and was given a two-year restraining order against one victim. He was acquitted of two rape counts and two restraining-order violations among the 40 charges originally brought.
The 29-year-old had pleaded not guilty to the most serious accusations, including rape, while admitting to lesser offences. His lawyers announced within hours that he would appeal. The trial has drawn intense public attention in Norway, focusing on issues of consent, domestic violence, and the sharing of intimate images without permission.
Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad said of one rape conviction, involving video evidence from December 2018 at the royal residence in Skaugum: “She has closed her eyes, lies in the same position over time and shows no reactions to touch or stimulation. There are no sounds or movements that indicate she is awake.” The victim, shown the recording during interrogation, said she had not been aware of what happened.
The case comes at a difficult time for the Norwegian royal family, as Crown Princess Mette-Marit awaits a lung transplant. Høiby attended court by video link from Ila prison for health reasons, though he was not visible on the feed. Lawyers for one victim expressed relief at the “thorough and well-reasoned assessment,” expressing hope that Høiby will receive help so that such incidents do not recur.
