Norway’s royal family was plunged into renewed turmoil on Monday after Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, was arrested on fresh criminal charges just days – and now hours – before he is due to stand trial for rape in Oslo.
Police said Høiby was taken into custody on Sunday evening on suspicion of assault, making threats with a knife and breaching a restraining order. Prosecutors have requested that he be held in custody for up to four weeks, citing concerns about the risk of further offending. He was later released pending a decision on detention.
The arrest comes on the eve of a high-profile trial scheduled to begin on Tuesday and expected to last up to six weeks. Høiby faces 38 charges, including four counts of rape, allegations of domestic abuse against a former partner, assault, death threats, and other acts of violence. He denies the most serious accusations, including sexual offences, but has admitted to some lesser charges.
Confirming the latest arrest, Andreas Kruszewski of the Oslo police district said Høiby had been charged with “assault, threats with a knife and violation of a restraining order”. The existing indictment also includes accusations of abusing close relationships, assaulting a public official and a series of motoring and drugs-related offences, with further charges added as recently as last week.
The developments have intensified scrutiny of Norway’s royal household at an already sensitive moment. Høiby is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship and is the stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the throne. Although he is not a member of the royal house and holds no title, his proximity to the monarchy has ensured that the case has dominated national attention.
In a statement issued last week, the palace confirmed that neither the crown prince nor the crown princess would attend court proceedings. In carefully measured remarks, Haakon stressed both empathy and distance. “Our thoughts are with everyone who is affected by this case,” he said, adding that while Høiby was “an important member of our family”, he was “a citizen of Norway” subject to the same laws as everyone else.
The timing of the arrest has further complicated matters for Mette-Marit, who is herself facing intense public scrutiny following the release of millions of pages of documents by the US justice department relating to Jeffrey Epstein. The files include email exchanges involving the crown princess, who has publicly expressed regret for having had any contact with the disgraced financier, describing it as “embarrassing” and an example of “poor judgment”.
