Norway Crown Princess’s Son Detained Again on Eve of 38-Count Criminal Trial

Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, was arrested by police on Sunday evening, just hours before his criminal trial was due to open in Oslo district court. Authorities said the new arrest relates to suspicions of assault, threats with a knife, and violation of a restraining order.

The arrest comes as Høiby faces an indictment containing 38 counts. These include four alleged rapes said to have occurred between 2018 and late 2024, abuse in a close relationship involving a former partner, alleged acts of violence against another partner, death threats, traffic violations, and transporting approximately 3.5 kilograms of marijuana. Police requested four weeks of detention, citing risk of reoffending.

Høiby, who is in his late twenties, has been under police scrutiny since multiple arrests in 2024 connected to allegations of violence and drug offences. He was indicted in August 2025 but had remained free pending trial until the latest detention. His defence team has stated that he denies all charges of sexual abuse and most of the violence-related allegations.

He is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship and the stepson of Crown Prince Haakon. Høiby holds no royal title and carries no official duties within the Norwegian royal household. Crown Prince Haakon said he and the Crown Princess do not plan to attend the trial and that the royal house will not comment during the proceedings. He also emphasised that Høiby is not part of the royal institution and is subject to the same legal rights and responsibilities as any other Norwegian citizen.

The trial is opening at the same time renewed scrutiny has fallen on Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s past contact with Jeffrey Epstein. Recently released files contain email exchanges and confirm that she borrowed a property linked to Epstein in 2013. Her name reportedly appears more than 1,000 times across the documents.

In a public statement, Mette-Marit said:

“I made a bad judgment and deeply regret any contact I had with Epstein. This is shameful. I take responsibility for not researching Epstein’s past more thoroughly and for not realizing quickly enough what kind of person he was.”

She also expressed sympathy for Epstein’s victims. The Norwegian royal household has said her past association is unrelated to her son’s criminal case.