The courtroom fell silent as Marius Borg Hoiby, son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, struggled to maintain composure while testifying in his rape trial. Tears streamed down his face, forcing him to repeatedly pause and wipe his eyes, a stark display of vulnerability under intense scrutiny.
Hoiby, 29, faces accusations of rape and over thirty other offenses, a shadow cast over a life lived largely in the public eye. He spoke of a relentless pressure, recounting decades of media intrusion beginning in childhood and a constant barrage of harassment.
He described a desperate need for validation, a pattern of seeking it through excessive partying, alcohol, and numerous sexual encounters. “Few can relate to the life I have led,” he confessed, painting a picture of a privileged existence marked by isolation and a search for connection.
While vehemently denying the most serious charges of rape and domestic violence, Hoiby admitted partial guilt to aggravated assault and reckless behavior, a legal maneuver permitted within the Norwegian system. He also acknowledged lesser offenses, including speeding.
The core of the prosecution’s case centers around a 2018 after-party held at the crown prince’s residence near Oslo. They allege Hoiby filmed himself performing a sex act on a woman while she was unconscious, shortly after they had engaged in consensual activity.
Hoiby adamantly denied this accusation, stating he had sexual relations with the woman but insisted she was not unconscious during any subsequent act and that he did not record it. He claimed that had he possessed evidence of an assault, he would have immediately destroyed it.
A crucial piece of evidence, a video obtained by police, was shown to the court behind closed doors the previous day. The contents of this video remain undisclosed, but its existence is central to the prosecution’s argument.
The alleged victim testified that she only learned of the alleged assault when contacted by police years later regarding the video. She expressed a firm belief that she had been drugged during the party, a claim that significantly impacts the case.
Born before his mother’s marriage to Prince Haakon, Hoiby is not formally a member of the royal family, yet his lineage has thrust him into the center of a highly publicized trial. The case has garnered even more attention following revelations of extensive communication between his mother and the late Jeffrey Epstein.
The weight of the accusations, the scrutiny of the court, and the echoes of a controversial past have converged, creating a deeply complex and emotionally charged legal battle.
