Trial of the son of Norway's crown princess on rape and other charges opening in Oslo

OSLO, Norway (AP) — The son of Norway's crown princess is going on trial Tuesday on charges that include rape, opening proceedings that are expected to last several weeks in a case that has cast a shadow on the royal family's image.

Marius Borg Høiby, 29, is the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship and the stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon. He has no royal title or official duties.

Høiby has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 on various allegations of wrongdoing. He was indicted in August but was free pending trial until Sunday, when police said he was arrested over new allegations of assault, threats with a knife and violation of a restraining order.

The Oslo district court on Monday granted their request to keep him in detention for up to four weeks on the grounds of a risk of reoffending. Defense lawyer Petar Sekulic said the arrest followed an alleged “incident” involving another person on Sunday. He declined to give details, but said Høiby contests his detention and his legal team was considering an appeal as soon as he and the other person can provide statements to police.

In the trial opening Tuesday at the Oslo court, Høiby faces 38 counts. They include rape, abuse in a close relationship against one former partner, acts of violence against another and transporting 3.5 kilos (7.7 pounds) of marijuana. Other charges include making death threats and traffic violations.

Prosecutors have said he could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted at the trial, which is scheduled to last until March 19. The court has said parts of the proceedings will be held behind closed doors.

The indictment centers on four alleged rapes between 2018 and November 2024; alleged violence and threats against a former partner between the summer of 2022 and the fall of 2023; and two alleged acts of violence against a subsequent partner, along with violations of a restraining order.

Høiby's defense team has said that he “denies all charges of sexual abuse, as well as the majority of the charges regarding violence.”

Haakon said last week that he and Mette-Marit do not plan to attend the trial and that the royal house does not intend to comment during the proceedings.

King Harald, 88, and the royals are generally popular in Norway, but the Høiby case has been a problem for the family's image.

And Høiby's trial is opening just as Mette-Marit faces renewed scrutiny over her past contacts with Jeffrey Epstein following the release on Friday of a new batch of documents from the Epstein files. They contained several hundred mentions of the crown princess, who already said in 2019 that she regretted having had contact with Epstein, Norwegian media reported.

Mette-Marit said in a statement that she “must take responsibility for not having investigated Epstein’s background more thoroughly, and for not realizing sooner what kind of person he was.” She added: “I showed poor judgment and regret having had any contact with Epstein at all. It is simply embarrassing.”

Associated Press writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.