Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Norway’s crown princess Mette-Marit, was arrested in the country’s capital, Oslo, on Monday night on suspicion of rape, Norwegian police announced Tuesday.
Borg Høiby, 27, is the stepson of crown prince Haakon but holds no royal title or official duties.
Authorities charged Borg Høiby with “sexual intercourse with someone who is unconscious or for other reasons unable to resist the act.” This preliminary charge allows police to detain suspects while investigations are ongoing. The timing of the alleged incident remains unclear, but police said that “the victim must have been unable to resist the act.”
A preliminary charge precedes a formal charge and permits authorities to hold suspects during the investigation.
Norwegian media reported that Borg Høiby denied the allegations. Hege Salomon, the lawyer representing the alleged victim, described her client as “having a hard time” and clarified that the case was initiated by police, not the victim. The woman’s identity has not been disclosed.
The Norwegian royal palace has not commented on the matter, according to NTB, the national news agency.
This arrest adds to Borg Høiby’s prior legal issues. In August, he was briefly detained after an altercation in downtown Oslo, facing preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage. Police noted “a relationship between the suspect and the victim” in that case. Since then, additional charges have been filed against Borg Høiby, including violating restraining orders and driving without a valid license. In total, the cases involve accusations from four women and one man.
The scandal has dominated headlines in Norway, where the royal family enjoys widespread popularity. Borg Høiby resides with Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Crown prince Haakon, and their two children, princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus.
Crown princess Mette-Marit gained public attention in 2001 when she married Haakon. At the time, she was a single mother with a controversial past, including a relationship with a man convicted of drug offenses. Despite initial scrutiny, she was ultimately accepted by the Norwegian public.
