Norwegian royal Marius Borg Høiby transferred to house arrest with ankle bracelet at crown prince's estate

The court ruling

On Monday, 13 July 2026, the Oslo District Court extended the pre-trial detention of Marius Borg Høiby by another four weeks, but allowed him to serve it under electronic monitoring instead of remaining in the high-security Ila prison near Oslo. The 29-year-old, eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been in custody since his trial began in February. The court's order permits him to move to Skaugum, the official residence of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, while wearing an ankle bracelet. The prosecution, which had asked for a simple extension of custody, immediately appealed the decision and requested that the appeal be granted suspensive effect, so Høiby would remain behind bars until the Court of Appeal rules.

House arrest at Skaugum

Høiby will not necessarily live in the main building of the estate. His defense team earlier told Norwegian media that he proposed living alone in an independent house on the Skaugum property, a dwelling where he has stayed before. The estate is located in Asker municipality, about 20 kilometres from Oslo. The electronic tag will enable authorities to enforce the set perimeter. He is also required to take part in the police RISK programme, which aims to reduce the likelihood of further domestic violence and includes supervision of both the suspect and the woman covered by a restraining order.

That is an option he can live with for the next few weeks, and then we will see what happens after that.

Risk of reoffending and prosecution appeal

The prosecution argues that the danger of recidivism remains, particularly the risk that Høiby will contact the ex-girlfriend whom Norwegian media call the "Frogner woman." A court-imposed contact ban is in place, which he has already violated on several occasions. Police have warned that outside a prison setting, Høiby could commit further offences. His defense maintains that the ankle monitor and the RISK participation reduce the danger to an acceptable level.

Background: the conviction

In June 2025, a Norwegian court sentenced Høiby to four years in prison for two rapes and physical violence against a former girlfriend. The verdict is not final, as he has lodged an appeal against parts of it. A full appeal trial could take place in 2027. Since February 2026, when the trial opened, he has been in pre-trial custody. Over the following months he repeatedly applied for release, citing his desire to be with his mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who suffers from a serious lung disease. All those applications were rejected until this week's ruling.

What comes next

The current arrangement covers only the next four weeks of pre-trial detention. It does not imply that Høiby will serve the entire four-year sentence at Skaugum. If the Court of Appeal sides with the prosecution, he could be sent back to prison before the main appeal even commences. The longer-term outcome depends on that appeal, which will review both the conviction and the sentence. For now, his legal team says he is content with the temporary move to house arrest.