Norway awaits verdict in rape trial of crown princess's son

Three judges at Oslo District Court will deliver their verdict early Monday in the trial of Marius Borg Høiby, the 29-year-old son of Norway's crown princess.

Høiby will appear by video link for health reasons. The trial ended nearly three months ago on 40 charges, including four counts of rape. He denies the rape charges but admits some lesser counts involving drugs and traffic offences.

Prosecutors want a sentence of seven years and seven months. His defence lawyers say he should serve 18 months. Høiby has been in custody since early February.

Police arrested him just before the trial on suspicion of assault and violating a restraining order against an ex-girlfriend. Repeated bids by his lawyers to have him released have failed.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit is seriously ill. An appeals court last week rejected a request to release Høiby so he could visit her. She was placed on a lung transplant list a little over a week ago and has visited her son in prison with Crown Prince Haakon.

Doctors have said patients on the transplant list are generally expected to have about a year to live. Mette-Marit has stopped public duties and now uses a nasal tube to breathe.

Høiby is not a member of the royal family but grew up with his royal half-siblings after his mother married into the family when he was four. A long prison term would affect the wider family, including future King Haakon and Queen Mette-Marit.

Crown Prince Haakon has stayed away from the courtroom. He has said he supports Høiby while also understanding the position of the women who gave evidence.

The four women Høiby is accused of raping kept their anonymity. The court allowed one former girlfriend, influencer Nora Haukland, to be identified. She denies claims that he abused, hit and choked her.

Prosecutors allege the four rapes occurred while the women were asleep or incapacitated after consensual sex. They seek three years for one rape and two years each for the other three. Norwegian sentences are not served consecutively.

The prosecution also alleges psychological and physical abuse of ex-girlfriends. Several charges involve one woman from Oslo's Frogner district. Høiby has admitted some counts of serious bodily harm and abuse in that case but denies filming any women without consent.

He admits trafficking 3.5 kilograms of marijuana, driving without a licence, reckless driving and one breach of a restraining order.

Høiby was moved to Ila prison outside Oslo a few days before the verdict. His reaction to the sentence will be seen only by people inside the courtroom and two overflow rooms.

The case began with his arrest in August 2024. It has renewed questions about the Norwegian royal family's future. King Harald, 89, and Queen Sonja have limited options to respond.

Professor Peggy Simcic Brønn of BI Norwegian Business School said the situation amounts to an institutional crisis and a crisis of trust. She warned that international attention will intensify this week.