The son of Norway’s crown princess denied raping a woman in her own home the day he met her, after being arrested on Monday night.
Marius Borg Høiby, 27, son of Crown Princess Mette Marit and stepson of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, is suspected of attacking a woman in April this year, according to police.
The troubled mechanic, often nicknamed the ‘Black Sheep’ of the Norwegian royal family, has strongly denied the allegations against him, in a statement through his lawyer.
Øyvind Bratlien told a Norwegian publication V.G. that his client denied the allegations and was cooperating with police during their investigation.
A statement issued by police on Tuesday said Høiby was suspected of violating the penal code “which refers to sexual intercourse with someone who is unconscious or who for other reasons cannot resist the act.”
The statement added: “What the police can say about rape is that it is a sexual act without intercourse.”
“It is said that the victim could not resist the act.”
VG reported that the alleged victim did not know Høiby before the day the attack allegedly occurred and that she is not someone in his immediate “environment.”
Marius Borg Høiby, 27, denied raping a woman “in her own home the day he met her” after being arrested on Monday.
As the Norwegian royal family reels from Høiby’s arrest, his stepfather, Crown Prince Haakon, 51, heir to the throne, is in Jamaica for an engagement.
On Tuesday he broke his silence following news of his stepson’s arrest.
The royal, who raised Høiby from a young age, said NRK that he “would have liked to be home with his wife today”, but is currently in Jamaica, in his role as goodwill ambassador for the UN development programme.
“I miss her,” he told the outlet, adding that Marius now faces “serious charges.”
“Today, of course, we think of all those affected,” he continued.
The prince also told NRK that the police and legal system should now be “given space to do their job,” and that he is “confident” it will be done in a “good way.”
Høiby’s arrest is the latest in a series of scandals affecting the Norwegian royal family, after he was first arrested in August on suspicion of assault after a woman, believed to be his girlfriend at the time , was abandoned in the hospital with injuries.
According to police, Høiby was in a car with the alleged victim of the August assault when he was arrested on rape allegations Monday night.
The 27-year-old (pictured far right) has no royal title or royal responsibilities. He is the son of Crown Princess Mette Marit from a previous relationship. Pictured from left to right: Prince Sverre Magnus, Crown Prince Haakon, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Crown Princess Mette Marit
On Tuesday, police also said suspicions related to the August incident now included domestic abuse.
Police said they had yet to decide whether he would remain in custody.
Høiby was born in 1997 from a relationship prior to Mette-Marit’s 2001 marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, the heir apparent to the Norwegian throne.
He and his half-siblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 20, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 18, were raised together by Mette-Marit and Haakon.
Unlike them, it has no official public role.
The Norwegian royal family was rocked by Høiby’s first arrest in early August, after a woman, Rebecca Helberg Arntsen, was hospitalized with her injuries following the attack.
A week after his arrest, Høiby admitted to assaulting Rebecca, whom he referred to as his “girlfriend” (his lawyers have refuted this claim).
In a statement issued through his own lawyer, Høiby said he suffers from “several mental disorders” and has “struggled with substance abuse for a long time,” which is why he said he is resuming treatment.
Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon has broken his silence after police revealed his stepson was arrested on suspicion of rape.
Borg Høiby was arrested on Monday afternoon. ‘What the police can say about rape is that it is a sexual act without intercourse. “The victim is said to have been unable to resist the act,” police said.
The 51-year-old future king, who is married to the 27-year-old’s mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and raised him from a young age, told NRK that he “would have liked to be at home with his wife today.” . Both photographed last month.
The statement said: “Last weekend something happened that should never have happened.” I committed bodily injury and destroyed objects in an apartment while intoxicated with alcohol and cocaine after an argument.
‘I have several mental disorders, which means that throughout my upbringing and adult life I have had and continue to have challenges. I have struggled with substance abuse for a long time, something I have been in treatment for in the past.
‘Drug use and my diagnoses do not excuse what happened at Frogner’s apartment on Sunday night last weekend. I want to be responsible for what I have done and I will honestly explain it to the police.
‘For me, the most important thing is to apologize to my girlfriend. He didn’t deserve what happened that night, nor 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.”
Weeks later, the 27-year-old He was arrested after violating a restraining order.
The restraining order in question was to protect Rebecca Helberg Arntsen, whom Høiby admitted to assaulting, in an alcohol- and drug-fueled attack on August 4, in which he was first arrested and held in a police cell during the evening.