Marius Borg Høiby, 29, was sentenced this Monday by the Oslo District Court to four years in prison for two rapes committed against women who were asleep or incapacitated. One of those assaults took place in 2018 inside Skaugum, the official residence of Crown Prince Haakon and his mother, Princess Mette-Marit. The other occurred in March 2024 during a party in Oslo. Høiby is not a member of the Norwegian royal family—he is the son from Mette-Marit’s previous relationship—but his case shook the monarchy from day one.
The sentence could have gone much further: he faced 40 charges and a maximum penalty of 16 years. The prosecution had asked for 7 years and 7 months. The court acquitted him of two other rape charges for lack of conclusive evidence, but it also found him guilty of repeated abuse of a former partner, threats, and traffic offenses. He admitted to transporting 3,5 kilos of marijuana and acknowledged problems with alcohol, drugs, and his mental health.
What ended any room for institutional compassion was his request for provisional release to accompany his seriously ill mother. The court rejected it. Høiby will remain behind bars, where he has been since early February 2026. The privilege of being born close to a crown was not enough to evade justice.
