Norway Grants Marius Borg Høiby Leave from House Arrest for King Harald V's Funeral
Norwegian prosecutors have granted Marius Borg Høiby temporary release from house arrest to attend memorial services and the 9 September funeral of King Harald V.
Leave granted for royal mourning
Norwegian authorities granted Marius Borg Høiby temporary release from house arrest to participate in memorial events for the late King Harald V. The 29-year-old son of Queen Mette-Marit is currently serving a four-year prison sentence under electronic monitoring at the Skaugum royal residence while awaiting an appeal. Police prosecutor Oda Karterud confirmed on Monday that judicial authorities approved his requests for compassionate leave to attend both palace ceremonies and the official funeral. Høiby had previously received permission to visit Harald at Oslo University Hospital shortly before the 89-year-old monarch died on Friday evening. While Høiby remains a member of the wider royal family, he holds no formal royal title and is not an official member of the royal house.
The public prosecutor deemed that there were grounds to grant the requests for leave submitted by Hoiby in connection with the death. Leave has been granted.
Palace procession and funeral schedule
On Monday afternoon, Høiby joined members of the royal family for a ten-minute procession transferring the coffin from the palace's Red Salon to the Royal Chapel. The procession was led by the lord chamberlain carrying the royal crown on a cushion, following the ceremonial protocol established when King Olav V died in 1991. King Haakon VIII and Princess Märtha Louise carried the coffin alongside their five children and Høiby. Queen Mette-Marit walked hand in hand with Harald's widow, the 89-year-old Queen Sonja, immediately behind the casket. A guard of honour comprising 140 palace employees lined the halls before falling in behind the cortege. The coffin will rest on a catafalque in the chapel for a private service with court staff and adjutants, after which the public can pay respects from Tuesday through 8 September ahead of the 9 September burial.
- King Harald V dies at age 89 at Oslo University Hospital
- Palace cortege transfers the coffin to the Royal Chapel
- King Haakon VIII takes constitutional oath as public viewing opens
- Official funeral service and burial held for King Harald V
Legal proceedings and detention conditions
Høiby was convicted in June on two counts of rape and 32 other criminal offences, including continuous domestic abuse against a former partner. The Oslo court acquitted him on two additional rape charges and sentenced him to four years in prison. Throughout the legal proceedings, Høiby denied all accusations of sexual assault, stating that the encounters were voluntary. Defence lawyers lodged an appeal against the verdict immediately after sentencing, with appellate court hearings anticipated in the summer of 2027. Authorities permitted Høiby to serve his detention under house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor at Skaugum starting in mid-July, restricting him to the estate grounds without prior police approval.
Royal succession and institutional challenges
The state transition proceeds as King Haakon VIII prepares to take his constitutional oath before the Norwegian parliament on Tuesday. The palace procession marked Queen Mette-Marit's first public appearance since undergoing a lung transplant in June, following her 2018 diagnosis of chronic pulmonary fibrosis. Over the weekend, tens of thousands of citizens gathered at cathedrals nationwide, laying flowers and lighting candles outside the Royal Palace in Oslo. The succession occurs during heightened public scrutiny surrounding the royal household, shaped by Høiby's criminal conviction and Mette-Marit's public apology earlier this year regarding her past association with Jeffrey Epstein.
