Norway’s royal family faces a fresh test as Marius Borg Hoiby, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship, goes on trial Tuesday in Oslo accused of 38 counts, including four rapes and multiple assaults against former girlfriends.
The 29-year-old, who grew up in the royal household but holds no official role, was arrested on Aug. 4, 2024, on suspicion of assaulting his then-girlfriend and damaging her apartment the previous night. In the weeks that followed, several ex-partners came forward with allegations, prompting police to widen the investigation to include suspected rapes, death threats, drug offenses, invasion of privacy and violations of restraining orders.
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In a public statement 10 days after his arrest, Hoiby acknowledged he had acted “under the influence of alcohol and cocaine after an argument,” citing “mental troubles” and a long struggle with substance abuse. He has not entered a plea in court to the raft of charges now before him.
Hoiby spent a week in custody in November 2024—an unprecedented step for someone so closely connected to Norway’s royal family, which has long cultivated an image of stability and restraint. The court proceedings are expected to reignite debate over the boundaries between a modern constitutional monarchy and the private conduct of those on its margins.
Born on Jan. 13, 1997, after a brief romance between Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby and Morten Borg—a figure of Oslo’s 1990s club scene later convicted of abuse and drug-related crimes—Hoiby entered public life at age 4 when his mother married Crown Prince Haakon. Raised alongside his half-siblings Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 22, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 20, he was shielded from official duties but grew up inside the royal home.
His ambiguous status has long complicated his relationship with the public and press. “He has been put in a virtually impossible position: one foot in, one foot out. He is not technically part of the royal household but he grew up in it,” said Sigrid Hvidsten, royal commentator at the newspaper Dagbladet. “He has lived in a grey zone, a kind of gilded cage,” she told AFP in December 2024.
Despite efforts by the palace to keep him out of the spotlight, Hoiby’s social life attracted attention. In 2023, police warned him after he was seen associating with what authorities described as “notorious criminals.” It also emerged after last year’s arrest that Hoiby had been detained in 2017 for cocaine use at a music festival and was fined. He has not been in steady employment or higher education, and has been supported by his mother and stepfather, according to media reports. Several ex-girlfriends are now plaintiffs in the case.
The scandal has dented the monarchy’s standing, though the institution remains broadly popular, particularly in the persons of King Harald, 88, and Crown Prince Haakon, 52. In a poll published Wednesday by public broadcaster NRK, 37% of respondents said their view of the monarchy had worsened over the past year.
Crown Prince Haakon addressed the case publicly this week, walking a line between family loyalty and civic principle. “Marius Borg Hoiby is not part of the royal household. In that respect, he is independent. But of course we love him. He is an important part of our family,” he said Wednesday. “And he is a citizen of Norway. With that, he has the same responsibilities as everyone else, but also the same rights.”
As proceedings open in Oslo District Court, the allegations will be tested by evidence and cross-examination. The palace has emphasized Hoiby’s lack of constitutional role, while acknowledging the case’s gravity. The outcome—however it lands—will shape public perceptions of accountability around Norway’s most visible family, even for a relative who stands outside its official duties.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
