The Norwegian Royal Family is in a huge crisis. The son of the Crown Princess, Marius Borg Høiby, is set to appear in a trial where he’s already been charged with 32 counts, including alleged rape. Now, days before, the 29-year-old is facing fresh charges.
Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been hit with new charges just days before his trial begins. He already faces 32 charges, including alleged rape, abuse in a close relationship, threats, acts of violence, and multiple traffic offences.
The fresh accusations include drug trafficking, which prosecutors say is the most serious of the new charges. According to the state attorney, Sturla Henriksbø, this could carry a prison sentence of up to ten years.
Norwegian Royal Family Member Marius Borg Høiby facing new charges
The key new charge relates to an incident in July 2020. Marius is accused of receiving and transporting at least 3.5 kilograms of cannabis across Norway and handing it over to another person.
Other new charges include two alleged breaches of a restraining order and three additional traffic violations, adding to the driving-related offences he already faces.
His trial, covering all 38 counts, starts in Oslo on February 3 and is expected to last about six weeks, until mid-March.
In December, Marius’ family spoke publicly about the situation for the first time. Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Crown Prince Haakon, King Harald, and Queen Sonja shared how the charges have affected them.
Mette-Marit said she was upset by the allegations and rejected claims that she warned her son about his arrest over the phone. “It’s been a strain to be accused of such serious things, which of course I did not do,” she said. She added that the family has sought professional help for Marius and insisted they have taken the situation seriously.
Marius’ sister Princess Ingrid broke silence
In November last year, Marius’s sister, Princess Ingrid, who is second in line to the Norwegian throne, broke her silence. She is currently studying in Sydney and spoke to Norwegian outlet NRK about the case.
“Of course it’s difficult. Both for those of us who are around, for me as a sister, and for mom and dad. And of course for everyone affected by the case,” she said, adding it was difficult to be so far from her family while everything was happening. Still, she interupted herself, adding, “I don’t know if I want to go into it much more than that.”
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