Norway's royal family has been in the headlines since last summer after Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, was arrested three times and accused of a series of shocking sexual assaults. On Friday, June 27, the future queen's son was officially charged by Oslo police on multiple counts of rape, bodily harm and sexual assault—and the victims rank in the "double-digit" number.
Høiby, 28, was born to Crown Princess Mette-Marit—who was a single mother before she met Crown Prince Haakon—and as the stepson to the future king, holds no royal title. Following a months-long investigation, police held a press conference announcing 23 charges against Høiby, including one case of rape with intercourse, two cases of rape without intercourse, one case of abuse in close relationships and two cases of bodily harm.
The royal family issued a statement to Norwegian media outlet NRK reading, "The case is taking its course in the legal system, and follows normal procedures. We have nothing more to add."
Per NRK, police stated that the royal family was not brought forward for questioning during the investigation. "The reason we have not questioned other members of the royal family than Høiby is that it is our assessment that their possible explanations would contribute very little to clarifying the cases," police attorney Andreas Kruszewski told the outlet.
In November 2024, Høiby was arrested on suspicion of rape after two prior arrests involving his ex-girlfriend. In August, he was accused of criminal damage and bodily harm at the woman's Oslo apartment, and in September, he was arrested for violating a restraining order against his ex. In February 2025, additional rape accusations were reported involving model and TV presenter Linni Meister.
However, per the Guardian, Kruszewski said there were many more women involved. "I cannot go into further detail about the number of victims in the case beyond confirming that it is a double-digit number,” the police attorney said during Friday's press conference. According to NRK, "Høiby's defense attorney, Ellen Holager Andenæs, states that there are between 15 and 20 victims."
Høiby is the eldest of Crown Princess Mette-Marit's three children. He has a 21-year-old stepsister, Princess Ingrid Alexandra—who will go on to become Norway's queen one day—and a 19-year-old stepbrother, Prince Sverre Magnus, both of whom were born to the princess and Crown Prince Haakon after their 2001 marriage.
