Norwegian crown princess's son sentenced to four years for rape and abuse of women
Marius Borg Hoeiby, the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, was convicted of two rapes and multiple other charges in an Oslo court, concluding the most high-profile criminal trial to hit Norway's monarchy in recent years.
Verdict delivered in Oslo
An Oslo district court sentenced 29-year-old Marius Borg Hoeiby to four years in prison on 15 June 2026. He was found guilty of two rapes, the abuse of his former partner Nora Haukland, violence against another woman, threats, persistent ruthless behaviour, and multiple road-traffic offences. Hoeiby was acquitted of four other charges, including two sexual offences, with the judge citing the criminal-law principle that any reasonable doubt must be resolved in favour of the accused.
The victim was unconscious. She had her eyes closed and lay in the same position throughout the recording. She did not react to touch. In the court’s view the victim was incapable of offering resistance, and the accused was aware of this.
Sentence and compensation
Prosecutors had requested seven years and seven months, while the defence argued for acquittal on the most serious counts and proposed an 18-month term for the acts Hoeiby had partially or fully admitted. The court instead imposed four years, along with a two-year restraining order covering one of the complainants. In addition, Hoeiby must pay compensation to four women: Nora Haukland receives 100,000 Norwegian kroner (roughly 38,300 zł), while the other three are awarded 230,000, 200,000 and 110,000 kroner respectively.
- Nora Haukland
- 100000 NOK
- Woman 2
- 230000 NOK
- Woman 3
- 200000 NOK
- Woman 4
- 110000 NOK
Hoeiby did not appear in person, citing health problems that had reportedly required hospital treatment days earlier; he followed the sentencing remotely.
The charges and the trial
The indictment covered around 40 counts spanning events between 2018 and 2024, including sexual offences, violence, threats, breach of contact bans, property destruction, drug offences and traffic violations. The trial opened on 3 February and concluded on 19 March. More than 70 witnesses gave evidence, and the case file exceeded 10,000 pages, much of it drawn from messaging-app records.
- Trial begins at Oslo District Court
- Trial concludes after seven weeks of hearings
- Court delivers verdict and four-year prison sentence
Hoeiby admitted to some of the lesser charges – transporting 3.5 kilograms of marijuana and violating the restraining order and road-traffic rules – but consistently denied the rapes and the violence against Nora Haukland.
A family under strain
The defendant is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a relationship before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon. He grew up alongside the heir to the throne but holds no royal title, has never been a member of the royal court, and has performed no official duties. His biological father was a convicted drug dealer, and Mette-Marit’s past contacts with criminal circles were well known before her wedding.
The justice system has demonstrated its independence in this case. Marius is not being favoured or treated more leniently. Quite the opposite. Even though we all know the crown princess is seriously ill, the court did not release him from custody so he could spend time with his mother.
