Marius Borg Høiby, the 27-year-old son of Princess Mette-Marit of Norway will remain in prison for a week after being arrested following allegations of rape. The arrest, which occurred on Monday evening, comes as police investigate a second allegation involving another woman.
Whilst the investigation is ongoing, police have requested that Marius remain in custody, a decision a judge approved for a one-week detention period on Wednesday. He is forbidden from receiving any visits or letters in the next seven days.
“Marius is facing serious accusations, which the police and the judiciary will deal with. I am convinced they will do a good job,” Crown Prince Haakon told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
He added: "As a family and as parents, we have wanted Marius to receive help and we have been working for a long time to get him to a place where he can receive more help. It is something we give a lot of priority to. It must be done within the framework established by the legal system".
Haakon also said that he would liked to have been by his wife's side during these difficult days.
Maruis's lawyer, Øyvind Bratlien, has announced plans to appeal the detention ruling. However, he expressed cautious optimism, noting that the judge denied the police request for a two-week remand. "We consider that promising," Bratlien said in a statement to NRK.
The allegations mark the third time Høiby has been arrested in recent months. Police say the first incident occurred in August during a late-night altercation at the Oslo apartment of a woman he was reportedly in a relationship with.
During the altercation, police found a knife embedded in the wall of the woman’s bedroom. Høiby spent 30 hours in custody following his initial arrest and was later detained in September for breaching a restraining order related to the same woman.
When arrested on Monday, Marius was reportedly in a car with the alleged victim of the August incident. Investigators have since conducted searches of his residence and seized items as part of the ongoing investigation.
In a statement, police lawyer Andreas Kruszewski confirmed the details of the second allegation and the ongoing investigation, adding that the nature of the claims required thorough examination.
Maruis’s legal troubles have brought increased scrutiny to his role within Norway’s royal family.
Raised alongside his royal step-siblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, Marius holds no formal royal title or duties.
Despite his upbringing within the royal household, he has largely lived a private life. However, his repeated legal issues have placed significant strain on the family’s public image.
The allegations come on the heels of a statement issued earlier this month by Høiby in which he denied accusations of abuse from two former girlfriends, Nora Haukland and Juliane Snekkestad.
Both women came forward after news of his August arrest. While Høiby admitted to assaulting his current girlfriend, he denied the allegations made by his ex-partners.
The royal family has not issued a formal response to the latest developments. However, Crown Prince Haakon’s comments to NRK underscore the gravity of the situation. The investigation remains ongoing, and no formal charges have yet been filed.