The Norwegian royal family has broken its silence after rape allegations emerged against the king’s future stepson, confessing they sought “professional help” during the “difficult year.”
The Scandinavian royals have been rocked by scandal over the past 12 months after Marius Borg Høiby, 27, was Mette-Marit’s son from a relationship prior to her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon.
Police arrested Marius Borg Hoiby, 27, on August 4 following a late-night fight in an apartment in Oslo, where he was later accused of assaulting his “ex-girlfriend” and threatening to set her clothes on fire.
When police arrived after the cocaine and alcohol assault, they found a knife stuck in one of the walls of the woman’s bedroom in the apartment.
Høiby admitted to assaulting while “under the influence of alcohol and cocaine” in a statement in which he said he suffered from “mental problems” and struggled “for a long time with substance abuse.”
In an interview with NRK, Norway’s public broadcasting group, on Christmas Day, her mother, the Crown Princess, said: “If I had to choose one word for this year, it would be ‘challenging.'”
“It has been a demanding year and autumn for us,” added Princess Mette-Marit.
Following the incident, Høiby became the first member of the royal family to be charged with a crime and is no longer publicly listed as part of the Scandinavian family.
The Norwegian royal family has broken its silence after rape allegations emerged against the king’s future stepson, Marius Borg Hoiby (pictured, Prince Sverre Magnus and Princess Ingrid Alexandra, pictured, behind, left to right : Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Marius Borgholby)
Police arrested Marius Borg Hoiby (pictured), 27, on August 4 following a late-night fight in an apartment in Oslo, and he was later accused of assaulting his former “girlfriend”.
Following his arrest, in a statement to NRK, Borg Høiby, branded the “black sheep” of the Norwegian Royal Family, said that “something happened that should never have happened.”
“I committed bodily harm and destroyed objects in an apartment under the influence of alcohol and cocaine after an argument,” he added.
Borg Høiby said he had suffered “mental problems” and struggled “for a long time with substance abuse.” He said he would seek new treatment and “take it very seriously.”
But he added that ‘drug use and my diagnoses do not excuse what happened in the department.’ “I want to take responsibility for what I did,” he said, promising to be forthright with police.
And he added: ‘For me, the most important thing is to apologize to my girlfriend. He didn’t deserve what happened that night or the extreme pressure from the Norwegian and foreign press afterwards.
Mette-Marit’s eldest son also apologized to his family for his actions that have “affected him greatly.”
The Crown Prince’s stepson has since been arrested twice in November, and police are investigating assault complaints made by two other former associates.
Claims emerged that Borg Høiby engaged in a non-coital sexual act twice “with someone who is… unable to resist the act”, the Times information.
After being arrested on preliminary charges, which he refuted, he was released a week later, with his lawyer claiming the 27-year-old was receiving treatment, which is believed to be happening in London.
Holby was also noticeably absent from the royal family’s Christmas card this year.
Instead, King Harald V of Norway and Queen Sonja were joined by their son, Crown Prince Haakon, his wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and their 20-year-old daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra.
Following his arrest, in a statement to NRK, Borg Høiby (pictured with his mother), nicknamed the “black sheep” of the Norwegian Royal Family, said that “something happened that should never have happened.”
Claims emerged that Høiby engaged in a non-coital sexual act twice “with someone who is… unable to resist the act” (Pictured with his mother on a visit to Trondheim)
Pictured from left to right: Queen Sonja, King Harold, Prince Sverre Magnus, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Marius Borg Hoib, in white, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Prince Haakon.
Høiby was noticeably absent from the family’s Christmas card this year (pictured, left to right: Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Princess Ingrid Alexandra with Queen Sonja and King Harold)
But Prince Sverre Magnus, 18, was also not included in the festive photograph, where the five beaming royals pose up a storm next to a Christmas tree.
Sverre Magnus now lives in Trondheim, rather than Oslo with the Royal Family, and was not there when the photograph was taken, the Palace’s Head of Communications, Guri Varpe, revealed to Dagbladet.
In an NRK program called The Year of the Royal Family 2024, Mette-Marit also said that Høiby had a right to privacy, while confessing that they had been seeking “professional help” “for a long time.”
“I don’t think we could have been in a situation like this without having that help, together as a family and at the same time fulfilling our obligations to the Norwegian people,” he said.
While the family declined to comment on the crown princess’s son, the future king said he did not want to reveal more about the situation, adding that “they would like him to have space to find his own path.”
Queen Sonja said the situation was “taking its toll”, while her husband King Harald, who backed Mette-Marit, said it was difficult for a family member to go through such an experience but now they had to “let the legal system work as it should.” ought’.
The claims have hit the royal family, with support for the family falling from 81 percent in 2017 to 62 percent last September.
The allegations haven’t been the only issues troubling the family, however, as King, 87, fell ill in February after a trip to Malaysia.
Queen Sonja revealed she was worried she would have to travel alone at some point as the monarch’s health deteriorated.
Princess Martha Louise of Norway and her American groom, shaman Durek, delighted the crowds filling the streets by sharing a kiss after their wedding.
Princess Martha Louise of Norway was taken to Türkiye on a “surprise honeymoon” by her new husband, the “shaman” Durek Verrett.
After the incident, King Harold had a pacemaker, so he reduced the number of public tasks he performs from 431 to 371.
Despite using crutches and having a worryingly low heart rate, the monarch refuses to give up his crown.
It comes after Princess Martha Louise of Norway, Haakon’s sister, married her new husband, ‘shaman’ Durek Verret, in a controversial ceremony.
The spiritual newlyweds, who claim to have first met in ancient times, tied the knot in a grand ceremony in Geiranger, Norway, in August, before 350 guests.
The union was filled with controversy, in part due to Verrett’s views, which included the belief that childhood cancer is caused by unhappiness.