Shocking offenses

These are the charges against Marius Borg Høiby!

Marius Borg Høiby

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Haakon Mosvold Larsen / NTB)

After new serious allegations and his third arrest in four months, the Norwegian princess's son Marius Borg Høiby is now in custody, to which he has not appealed. The list of charges is long!

The 27-year-old was first arrested on August 4 on charges of assault and damage to property and was released the following day.

Violence, alcohol, cocaine, rape offenses
In a written statement at the time, he admitted that he had become violent towards his then girlfriend under the influence of alcohol and cocaine and had destroyed things in her apartment. A photo showing a knife stuck in a wall circulated in the Norwegian media. Høiby stated that he had been battling mental health problems and drug abuse for a long time.

Since then, the allegations against him have been increasingly expanded, including physical and psychological abuse in close relationships with several former partners.

On Tuesday, the police then announced that Høiby had been arrested for the third time and that he is now also accused of violating Section 291, which regulates rape offenses in Norway. According to the article, violations can be punished with up to ten years in prison.

Marius Borg Høiby

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Grott, Vegard Wivestad / NTB)

Specifically, the charge relates to sexual intercourse without sexual intercourse with an unconscious woman who was allegedly unable to resist the act. Prosecutor Kruszewski also announced on Wednesday that Høiby is accused of a second sexual offense of this kind. This is now also under investigation. Norwegian media even reported a third case on Thursday.

No charges so far
All of the allegations against Høiby are accusations - no charges have yet been brought in any of the cases.

According to media reports, the women have not reported the incidents themselves, but want to cooperate with the police. The investigators are said to be relying on video footage they found on Høiby's cell phone - it is said to show the alleged acts, as reported by the radio station NRK and the newspaper "Aftenposten", among others. Bratlien told TV 2 that, viewed in the right context, the videos showed nothing criminal.

But the videos are probably not the only thing the investigators are relying on. One of Marius' ex-girlfriends, who is listed as a victim of violence, is said to have been questioned by the police as a witness in one of the rape cases. 

He is also being investigated for driving without a license. Although his license had been revoked in October, the police caught him in his car on Monday night. 

Crown prince's family hit to the core
The Marius case has also affected the crown prince's family to the core. The allegations are serious, Haakon told NRK on Wednesday before returning from a visit to Jamaica. When asked how the family had tried to help his stepson with his difficulties, the heir to the throne replied: "We as a family and as parents have of course been very concerned that Marius gets help."

They had long campaigned for him to be sent to a place where he could receive more help, rehabilitation and treatment. This must now happen within the framework set by the legal system.

Crown Prince Haakon, Marius, Crown Princess Mette-Marit

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Utrecht, Robin / Action Press)

The problem is that Crown Princess Mette-Marit is said to be involved in the case and may have obstructed the investigation. Norwegian media report that she was warned before the first arrest in August and therefore allegedly managed to clean Marius' apartment on Skaugum Estate.

This is where Marius Borg Høiby lives at Skaugum Manor in Asker

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Heiko Junge / NTB / picturedesk.com)

No prince title
Marius Borg Høiby is the eldest of Mette-Marit's three children. He comes from a previous relationship with the Princess, but grew up with her and her husband Crown Prince Haakon (51).

Together with heir to the throne Haakon, Mette-Marit has two other children, hereditary princess Ingrid Alexandra (20) and Prince Sverre Magnus (18). Although Høiby is a member of the royal family, he does not bear the title of prince and is not an official member of the Norwegian royal family.