Marius Borg Høiby has been transferred from a high-security prison to electronic monitoring at Skaugum, the estate where Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit live. The decision concerns four additional weeks of pre-trial detention while appeals connected to his criminal case remain pending.
The Norwegian prosecution authority decided on Tuesday not to appeal an Oslo District Court (Oslo tingrett) ruling allowing Høiby to remain in custody at home under electronic monitoring.
Høiby, the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, was consequently moved from Ila prison to a separate house on the Skaugum estate, southwest of Oslo.
Høiby will remain in custody at Skaugum
The court did not grant Høiby’s request for release. It concluded that continued detention remained necessary because of the risk that he could commit further offences.
However, the judges allowed the detention to take place outside prison under strict electronic supervision.
Høiby will wear an electronic ankle monitor and must comply with conditions that include remaining at the approved residence, avoiding alcohol and drugs and submitting to checks by the authorities. He has also accepted follow-up from the police’s RISK unit, which works to prevent domestic violence.
According to Norwegian media, the monitoring arrangement allows unannounced inspections and alerts the authorities if Høiby leaves the permitted area or interferes with the equipment.
The prosecution initially questioned whether electronic monitoring would offer sufficient protection but eventually decided not to challenge the court’s ruling.
“We are satisfied that the District Court has concluded that the risk of repetition is too high for it to be considered safe to release the accused, and that continued detention is necessary,” Oslo police said in a statement reported by NRK.
The royal family says it will support him
The Norwegian Royal House confirmed that Høiby would stay at Skaugum during the detention period.
“The Crown Prince and Crown Princess wish to support him during the phase he is currently going through,” Guri Varpe, the Royal House’s head of communications, said in a written statement to VG.
Høiby is expected to live in a separate house on the estate rather than in the Crown Prince and Crown Princess’s main residence. His lawyers had previously established a rental arrangement for the property.
Defence lawyer Petar Sekulic welcomed the prosecution’s decision not to appeal.
“It is time that he is given this opportunity. The prosecution authority’s decision not to appeal the District Court’s ruling is sensible,” Sekulic told NRK.
The four-year prison sentence has been appealed
In June, Oslo District Court sentenced Høiby to four years in prison after finding him guilty of 34 offences, including two rapes, domestic abuse and other violent and sexual offences.
Høiby has appealed parts of the judgment, including the convictions for rape and domestic abuse. The judgment is therefore not final.
His current stay at Skaugum does not amount to serving the four-year prison sentence at home. It is an alternative form of pre-trial detention (varetekt) imposed while the legal proceedings continue.
Høiby has been held in custody since February 2026, when he was arrested shortly before the start of his trial. The authorities have repeatedly argued that detention is necessary because of the risk of further offences and possible violations of restraining orders.
Electronic detention remains an exceptional measure
Electronic monitoring during pre-trial detention remains relatively uncommon in Norway. It is intended to provide a less restrictive alternative to imprisonment when the court considers that risks can be managed through surveillance and specific conditions.
The decision means Høiby will be closer to his family, but he will continue to be deprived of his liberty and supervised by the Norwegian Correctional Service (Kriminalomsorgen).
The case is likely to continue attracting close attention because of Høiby’s connection to the royal family. Its next major development will be the appeal proceedings concerning the convictions and the four-year prison sentence.
