The Oslo District Court announced Monday that it will deliver its verdict on June 15 in the high-profile trial of Marius Borg Høiby, the stepson of Norway’s crown prince, capping more than a month of testimony that laid bare a wide-ranging criminal case against a member of one of Europe’s most reserved monarchies.
Høiby, 29, is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship and holds no royal title or official duties. He stands charged with 40 criminal offenses altogether, including four counts of rape that prosecutors say occurred between 2018 and 2024. He has denied all of the rape allegations. The case has drawn sustained attention in Norway and beyond, in part because of the contrast between the gravity of the charges and the royal family’s otherwise quiet public image.
During the trial, which ran for six weeks before closing arguments on March 19, prosecutors laid out a wide range of additional charges: drug possession, trafficking of 3.5 kilograms (7.7 pounds) of marijuana in 2020, traffic violations, and breaches of a restraining order aimed at a former partner. Høiby has admitted to those lesser infractions but disputes key aspects of the violence and threat allegations, including intent. The prosecution’s sentencing request of seven years and seven months is based on what it describes as a pattern of serious offending.
The defense countered that the admitted charges warrant no more than 18 months in prison. Defense lawyers told the court that Høiby has lived under exceptional media pressure because of his connection to the crown prince and princess, which they argued has distorted public perceptions of the case. The verdict will be handed down by the Oslo District Court on the date now set.
The trial has cast a shadow over the Norwegian royal family. While the proceedings were underway, Crown Princess Mette-Marit separately faced renewed scrutiny over her association with the late American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Associated Press reported that the connections have raised questions about her judgment, though she has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
The case is one of the most serious criminal matters to touch a European royal household in decades, and Monday’s announcement brought the public proceedings a step closer to resolution, setting the stage for a decision that will be scrutinized both inside Norway and abroad.