OSLO, FEB 3: The son of Norway’s crown princess pleaded not guilty Tuesday to four counts of rape at the opening of a trial that has embarrassed the royal family.
Marius Borg Hoiby, Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s 29-year-old son from a relationship prior to her 2001 marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, stood and muttered a response to four counts of rape between 2018 and 2024.
Clad in green trousers and a sweater, Hoiby remained expressionless as prosecutors read out the 38 charges against him, which could see him jailed for up to 16 years.
Hoiby pleaded guilty to several of the more minor counts, including assaults, a narcotics charge, traffic offences and violations of restraining orders.
He was arrested again on Sunday evening on suspicion of assault, making threats with a knife and violating a restraining order, and was remanded in custody for four weeks.
The prosecution presented details of the alleged rapes and assaults to the packed Oslo court, while Hoiby, his head bowed, fidgeted nervously.
One of Hoiby’s alleged victims was to testify behind closed doors later Tuesday, while Hoiby is scheduled to take the stand for the first time on Wednesday.
The trial came just days after his mother was drawn into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, after unsealed US documents revealed her apparently close friendship with the convicted sex offender, who killed himself in prison in 2019.
