Oslo court does not extend Marius Borg Høiby's detention, prosecutors appeal

The court decision

An Oslo court decided on Monday, 2 November 2026, not to extend the pre-trial detention of Marius Borg Høiby, 29, the eldest son of Mette-Marit. According to the court's own statement, the decision must still be reviewed by a higher court and could be overturned. The prosecution appealed immediately and asked for suspensive effect, which would keep him in custody until the appeal is decided. Whether and when he actually leaves detention was therefore unclear when the reports were written. VG, TV2 and NRK all reported the same ruling.

Background to the case

Høiby has been held in pre-trial detention since 2 February, and the custody was regularly extended, most recently in four-week periods requested by the prosecution. In June he was sentenced to four years in prison for a series of offences, including two rapes under Norwegian law and domestic violence. Spiegel reports that the trial covered 40 charges, and that the most serious ones involved four women. EL PAÍS reports that prosecutors had asked for seven years and seven months. He has challenged the verdict, and SRF News reports that the appeal trial is due to start in February 2027.

Life at Skaugum

Since July, Høiby has worn an electronic ankle tag and has lived with his mother and stepfather at the royal estate of Skaugum, outside Oslo. Focus reports that he has a separate house there, may move only within certain areas and needs permission to leave the grounds. Stern links his move from custody to house arrest to a rapid deterioration in his mother's health, and reports that she has since had a lung transplant. Blick reports that his lawyers called the detention at Skaugum an extreme strain. His lawyer Daniel Storrvik told TV2 that the arrangement had worked for some time, but that circumstances had since changed, without giving details.

Defence and prosecution arguments

Defence lawyers Daniel Storrvik and Alexander Greaker argued that continued detention was disproportionate. Storrvik told TV2 that he sees no risk of Høiby reoffending, pointing to four months at liberty without new offences and no offences while in custody, according to Blick. At the non-public hearing, two witnesses testified: an employee of the prison service on how the ankle tag system had worked, and a medical professional who had cared for Høiby over a long period, stern reports. Press coverage of the hearing's contents was subject to a reporting ban, 20 Minuten reports. Prosecutor Oda Karterud had asked for four more weeks in custody, citing an overall assessment of the case history and recent developments. She said she could not see that the strain on him was greater than for most other inmates. EL PAÍS reports that the court accepted the defence arguments and rejected the prosecution's request to extend the current arrangement because of the risk he might commit another offence.

What happens next

The court also set conditions: Høiby must report regularly to the police and undergo drug and alcohol tests, which EL PAÍS says start in December 2026. Until the appeal is decided, he remains under electronic monitoring at Skaugum, according to EL PAÍS. The appeal is also where the June verdict will be reviewed. The decision is therefore not yet final, and the outcome of the appeal remains open.