Marius Borg Høiby has been sentenced to four years in prison by Oslo District Court (Oslo tingrett), in a closely watched criminal case involving the eldest son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit. The court convicted him of several offences, including domestic abuse in an intimate relationship, but acquitted him of two rape allegations, according to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.
The verdict was delivered on Monday morning in Oslo. It is not yet final, meaning both Høiby and the prosecution can appeal. The court’s decision was unanimous, and judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad read selected parts of the 128-page ruling after first announcing the operative part of the judgment.
A four-year sentence below the prosecution’s request
The sentence is significantly lower than the term requested by the prosecution. State prosecutor Sturla Henriksbø had asked the court to sentence Høiby to seven years and seven months in prison, arguing that he should be convicted on almost all charges in the indictment.
Høiby’s defence lawyers, Petar Sekulic and Ellen Holager Andenæs, had argued for a much shorter sentence. They said an appropriate penalty for the offences Høiby had admitted would be around 18 months in prison, and maintained that there was not sufficient evidence to convict him of rape or domestic abuse.
The court did not accept the prosecution’s case in full. NRK reported that Høiby was acquitted in two rape cases, one linked to Lofoten and one linked to a hotel in Oslo. At the same time, the court convicted him of domestic abuse against Nora Haukland, one of the central allegations in the case.
A case that began with one police report
The case became public in August 2024, when Høiby was arrested after a former partner reported him for violence following an incident in an apartment in Oslo. Ten days later, he issued a public statement in which he said he had struggled with substance abuse and mental health problems, and apologised for the episode.
The case then expanded. Other former partners came forward with allegations of psychological and physical violence, while police added further charges involving threats, breaches of restraining orders and later sexual offences.
By June 2025, Norwegian police said the investigation had been completed and that Høiby faced a broader set of allegations. In August 2025, prosecutors formally indicted him on 32 counts, including four rape charges. The number of charges later rose during the proceedings, with the trial focusing on a broad range of alleged offences.
Why the Høiby verdict drew international attention
The Marius Borg Høiby case has attracted unusual public attention because of his connection to Norway’s royal family. Høiby is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a relationship before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, Norway’s heir to the throne.
He does not hold a royal title, has no official duties and is not in the line of succession. However, he grew up within the crown prince’s household, making the criminal proceedings a sensitive matter for the royal family and for Norwegian public debate.
International agencies described the trial as one of the most serious legal cases involving someone so closely connected to the Norwegian monarchy. The trial also came at a difficult moment for Crown Princess Mette-Marit, whose health has deteriorated because of pulmonary fibrosis.
The ruling is not final
Høiby is expected to remain in custody for now. According to NRK, Norwegian law means police do not need to take a new position on custody until four weeks after the judgment.
Shortly before the verdict, an appeals court had refused to release Høiby from custody. The court considered that the risk of further offences remained sufficiently high in relation to one of the women involved in the case.
Because the judgment is not legally binding yet, the case may continue before a higher court. An appeal could reopen parts of the evidence, the legal assessment or the length of the sentence.
For Norway, the verdict closes one stage of a case that has combined criminal law, media scrutiny and the constitutional sensitivity surrounding a modern monarchy. Its next phase will depend on whether the defence or the prosecution decides to challenge the ruling.
