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Defendant describes life of excess in Oslo court
Marius Borg Høiby, the 29-year-old son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, testified on Wednesday that his years of heavy partying stemmed from a desperate need for approval. Speaking in a quivering voice, he told a three-judge panel in Oslo that he had lived under relentless media scrutiny since childhood.
Emotional testimony amid rape allegations
Høiby, who denies four counts of rape and over 30 other charges, appeared visibly shaken as he removed his glasses repeatedly to wipe his eyes. He described the difficulty of discussing his life in public, saying, "I am known for being Mamma's son. Nothing else."
His statement followed testimony from the first alleged victim, who told the court she believed she had been drugged during an after-party at Høiby's parents' home in December 2018. She recounted feeling "betrayal and shock" after police showed her videos years later, allegedly depicting sexual assault after a brief consensual encounter. The woman reported a "black hole" in her memory of the incident.
Court restrictions and family backdrop
The trial is being held under strict anonymity rules, with media barred from publishing details that could identify the four accusers or photographs of Høiby. Born four years before his mother's marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, he holds no official royal status.
The case coincides with heightened scrutiny of the Norwegian royal family after revelations that Crown Princess Mette-Marit exchanged hundreds of messages with the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The palace announced on Wednesday that she had postponed a private trip "until further notice," citing the ongoing controversy.
Defendant's account of 2018 incident
Høiby testified that he met the first accuser at a party in 2018 and tried cocaine for the first time that night. He disputed her version of events, claiming they had consensual sex after other guests left the basement gathering. When pressed by prosecutor Sturla Henriksbø about whether the woman was awake, Høiby insisted, "I don't sleep with women who aren't awake."
However, he admitted to filming a five-minute video of her in the basement, though he claimed no memory of the act. The prosecutor challenged his recollection, leading Høiby to grow frustrated, saying he had "repeated a million times" that he did not remember the sequence of events.
Legal and personal fallout
The charges against Høiby span from December 2018 to November 2024, including rape, assault, threats against a girlfriend, property damage, drug offenses, and driving violations. If convicted, he faces a minimum 10-year prison sentence. The allegations describe assaults occurring after consensual sex, with victims either asleep or incapacitated.
Høiby was arrested in August 2024 following a violent incident at his girlfriend's Oslo apartment. At the time, he acknowledged long-standing mental health struggles and substance abuse. His attorney has not yet presented a full defense.
"The most important thing for her was to say she was not able to resist or give consent,"
Heidi Reisvang, attorney for the first accuser
Media criticism and next steps
During his testimony, Høiby accused Norwegian media of distorting facts, specifically denying reports that his mother removed a SIM card from his phone before police seized it. The trial is expected to continue with further witness testimonies and cross-examinations.
