Norway’s normally personal royal household is once more underneath intense public scrutiny this week because the rape trial of the crown prince’s stepson begins days after a tranche of newly launched Epstein information seem to hyperlink the crown princess to the late intercourse offender.
Marius Borg Høiby, 29, has been charged with 38 counts, together with rape and repeated abuse of his former associate. The alleged violence consists of repeatedly hanging his girlfriend within the face, choking her, making threats and destroying her property, in keeping with indictment paperwork seen by CNN.
If convicted, Høiby might face greater than 10 years in jail, in keeping with Norway’s public broadcaster NRK. The fees additionally embody six counts of non-consensual sexual filming or pictures, in addition to drug associated and driving offenses, paperwork present.
Protection legal professional Petar Sekulic mentioned late final yr in response to the indictment that Høiby “denies all fees of sexual abuse, in addition to nearly all of the fees relating to violence.” Høiby will “current an in depth account of his model of occasions earlier than the court docket,” Sekulic added.
CNN has contacted Høiby’s lawyer for additional remark.
Høiby, the stepson of Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon, is outdoors Norway’s line of royal succession as a result of he was born earlier than his mom, Mette-Marit, married Haakon and have become a princess in 2001.
Høiby will seem Tuesday in Oslo District Court docket for the beginning of a trial anticipated to final seven weeks, in what consultants say is an unprecedented second for a royal household identified for its projection of stability. The trial additionally follows the most recent launch on Friday of extra Jeffrey Epstein information by the US Justice Division, which embody scores of emails between Epstein and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
Forward of his trial, Høiby was arrested on additional fees Sunday night together with making threats involving a knife and breaching a restraining order, police prosecutor Andreas Kruszewski mentioned Monday. CNN has approached Høiby’s legal professionals for touch upon the newest fees.
Whereas shocked by the allegations, Norwegians will probably be following the trial largely out of concern for the broader household, which is usually well-liked and led by the favored “grandfather determine” of King Harald, royal consultants say. Harald has been king of Norway since 1991 and is Europe’s oldest monarch.
“Most individuals perceive that (Høiby) isn’t a working royal and that the case is a private and authorized matter, not an institutional one,” Tove Taalesen, a royal correspondent for information outlet Nettavisen, instructed CNN forward of the trial.
Taalesen, who labored for greater than a decade on the nation’s royal palace, mentioned the crown prince’s dealing with of the case has been extensively interpreted in Norway “as deliberate and strategic.”
“By expressing love for Marius whereas concurrently stepping again from the authorized course of and public commentary, he has set clear boundaries. This has seemingly helped restrict broader reputational harm,” she mentioned.
One such boundary: neither Haakon nor the crown princess are aspiring to be current within the courtroom, in keeping with the royal home – a transparent signal of the household’s efforts to distance themselves publicly from the case.
Haakon final week issued a uncommon assertion asserting that Høiby is “not a member of the Royal Home of Norway and is subsequently autonomous.”
“We care about him, and he is a crucial member of our household. He’s a citizen of Norway and, as such, has the identical duties as everybody else – in addition to the identical rights,” Haakon mentioned.
The household will proceed their official duties as regular and won’t touch upon the court docket proceedings because the trial continues, Haakon added.
The brewing scandal started in 2024 after Høiby was arrested on suspicion of rape of a lady in her 20s – an allegation he denied on the time through his lawyer. Simply days later, he was accused of a second rape. His lawyer mentioned he additionally denied that allegation.
Including insult to harm, the trial comes as recent scrutiny mounts over Mette-Marit’s previous affiliation with Epstein, which she has since expressed remorse and embarrassment over.
Emails launched Friday by the US Justice Division seem to point a pleasant relationship between the pair years after Epstein had pleaded responsible to soliciting intercourse with a minor.
In 2012, emails despatched from “H.Ok.H. Kronprinsessen” – which interprets from Norwegian to “Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess” – to Epstein, Mette-Marit calls the late intercourse offender “sweetheart” and “comfortable hearted.”
In one other 2012 e-mail change, she calls Epstein “very charming,” whereas including: “Is it inappropriate for a mom to counsel two bare girls carrying a surfboard for my 15 yr outdated sons wallpaper ?”
One other dialog in 2012 sees Epstein inform Mette-Marit he’s on a “spouse hunt,” earlier than including: “Paris is proving attention-grabbing however I choose scandinavians (sic).” In response, Mette-Marit says Paris is “good for adultery” and “Scandis higher spouse materials.”
Mette-Marit has accepted she confirmed “poor judgement” over her contact with Epstein however mentioned he’s “solely answerable for his actions.”
“I have to take accountability for not having investigated Epstein’s background extra completely, and for not realizing sooner what sort of particular person he was. I deeply remorse this, and it’s a accountability I have to bear,” she mentioned in a press release despatched to CNN.
“I confirmed poor judgment and remorse having had any contact with Epstein in any respect. It’s merely embarrassing. I want to specific my deep sympathy and solidarity with the victims of the abuse dedicated by Jeffrey Epstein.”
In a society that places nice onus on honesty and openness from its leaders, Taalesen says how the palace responds to the rising public consideration will probably be essential. She believes the Epstein-related disclosures have shifted the dialog away from alleged “particular person misconduct” within the case of Høiby, and towards a broader critique of the establishment’s credibility.
“The stability between openness and restraint will decide whether or not this turns into an enduring turning level or a contained disaster,” she mentioned.
CNN’s Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou contributed reporting.
