The son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Marius Borg Høiby, is facing the possibility of more than seven years in prison after prosecutors urged Oslo District Court to convict him on 39 of 40 charges, including multiple counts of rape and assault, according to BBC News.
Høiby, 29, has denied the most serious accusations, four counts of rape and serious assault, insisting that all sexual encounters were consensual. The trial, which opened in early February, is now nearing its end after nearly seven weeks of testimony that has gripped the Norwegian public and dominated front pages across the country.
Prosecutors Sturla Henriksbø and Andreas Kruszewski outlined their sentencing requests on Wednesday, arguing that three of the rape counts should each result in two years’ imprisonment, with a fourth warranting three years. They said the women involved were either asleep or unable to give consent, and in several cases, investigators found videos allegedly recorded without their knowledge.
“The fact that intercourse had happened beforehand does not matter,” Henriksbø told the court. “Rape can leave lasting scars and destroy lives.”
Høiby, who was born before his mother’s marriage to Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, grew up close to the royal family but has no formal title. He has admitted to several lesser charges, including drug possession, reckless driving, and violating a restraining order. He also partially accepted responsibility for seriously assaulting a woman in her apartment.
Still, before the court, Høiby described the crushing weight of public judgment. “I’m not Marius anymore, I’m a monster,” he said, lamenting the hostility and media attention surrounding the case.
The crown princess herself has faced scrutiny recently over past connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, adding a further layer of public attention to the proceedings.
As the defense prepares its closing statements, observers speculate that while Høiby may avoid conviction on all rape charges, the offenses he has admitted to could still lead to a reduced but significant sentence.
