When Marius Borg Hoiby stands in room 250 at Oslo district court on Tuesday it will mark the beginning of one of Norway’s biggest trials in years. He will not have support from his closest family. His mother Crown Princess Mette Marit will not attend. Crown Prince Haakon who married her when Marius was four will also stay away. For the next seven weeks there will be no photos of the 29 year old inside or outside the courtroom. The court has banned all images. Even so journalists from around the world have arrived in large numbers. The Norwegian royal palace is keeping its distance. Hoiby is facing 38 charges. These include the rape of four women. He is also accused of assault and threats against a former girlfriend. Prosecutors say he damaged her apartment and committed drug related crimes and driving offences. If he is found guilty he could be sentenced to more than ten years in prison.
The palace says that Hoiby is not part of the royal family and that he is not a public figure. Even so he is seen as close to them. His stepfather the crown prince treats him like a son. King Harald who is 88 and widely loved in Norway has known him for most of his life and sees him like a grandson. Ulf Andre Andersen who first reported the case for the celebrity magazine Se og Hør says this is a very dangerous moment. He explains that the royal family is expected to be an example for the public. He broke the story in August 2024 after police were called to an apartment in Frogner in west Oslo following reports of violence.
Hoiby has accepted some of the minor charges. After his arrest he admitted to physical abuse and to damaging property. Prosecutors say he pulled down a chandelier threw a knife at a wall and smashed a mirror. They also say he used abusive language toward the woman. The four rape accusations span several years. They begin in 2018 at the Skaugum estate outside Oslo which is his parents official residence. The latest charge is from November 2024 after his first arrest. One case from 2023 involves sex while the woman was asleep. The other three cases also involve women who were unable to resist. Under Norwegian law this is classified as rape.
This is the biggest scandal the Norwegian royal family has ever faced says Niklas Kokkinn Thoresen who is the editor in chief of Se og Hør. He says the royals have never dealt with something this serious before. He was present when Hoiby was arrested.
Hoiby has been known to the public since his mother married into the royal family. He has spoken openly about struggling with drug abuse for many years. He has also said he has had mental health problems since he was a child. When asked for a response his lawyers shared an earlier statement. It said that Hoiby takes the accusations seriously. However he denies most of the charges. This includes claims of sexual abuse and violence.
Many women are expected to give evidence during the trial. Not all of them are linked to the rape accusations. Only one woman is allowed to be named. She is his former girlfriend and social media influencer Nora Haukland. She asked the court to hide her identity but the request was refused. Her public claims after his arrest are now part of the case. She says he hit her kicked her and choked her while insulting her.
His lawyers deny these accusations. They also deny a charge added last month about transporting a large amount of marijuana. The main focus of the trial will be the rape and sexual assault accusations and the statements given by the women involved.