oslo, norway
Reuters
—
The son of Norway’s crown prince denied on Wednesday that a cellphone video showed the rape, as he broke down in tears during the first day of testimony in his rape and domestic violence trial. The incident has shaken up the beleaguered royal family.
Marius Borg Højbi, 29, who joined the royal family when his mother Mette-Marit married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, said growing up in the public eye from an early age led him to crave alcohol and sex.
If convicted of the most serious of the 38 charges against him, he could face several years in prison.
On Tuesday, the first day of his trial, he pleaded not guilty to the most serious charges of rape and domestic violence, but partially guilty – a plea allowed under Norwegian law – to aggravated assault and reckless conduct. He also admitted minor charges including driving at excessive speed.
The trial has gripped Norway as her mother, the Crown Princess, is also under renewed scrutiny over revelations about her relationship with the late American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Huibi says few people can understand his life story
Through tears, Hoiby said it was difficult for her to testify in a courtroom packed with reporters.
“I’ve been surrounded by the press since I was three years old. I’ve been harassed ever since,” he said. He said he was on “heavy medication” and would do his best in court.
“I’m known as mama’s boy,” he said of Mette-Marit. “I mean, I have a strong desire to be affirmed,” he said. “Lots of sex, lots of alcohol.”
“Very few people can relate to the life I led. Lots of parties, alcohol and drugs,” he said.
Mr Hoiby, wearing jeans and a dark blue jumper over a beige shirt, crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke, occasionally glancing at handwritten notes in a notebook.
The charges against Mr. Hoiby include one count of rape with sexual intercourse and three counts of rape without sexual intercourse, some of which were filmed on a phone, prosecutors said.
He said he never shared the video and denied that it depicted sex without consent.
“If I thought I had material showing an assault, I never would have kept that material,” he said.
Wednesday’s testimony focused on a 2018 afterparty in the basement of the crown prince’s mansion on the outskirts of Oslo, where prosecutors say Høiby filmed himself performing sex acts on an unconscious woman. Police showed the video in closed court Tuesday.
Hoiby said he had sex with the woman but did not perform a second act while she was unconscious or film the act.
“As far as I can remember, we had perfectly normal sex,” Hoiby said. “Then I told her to go and I called a taxi.”
“I don’t have sex with people who aren’t awake.”
Earlier Wednesday, the alleged victim, who cannot be identified to protect her privacy, said she learned of the alleged rape after being contacted by police about the video and that she did not consent to the sex act that was filmed. Prosecutors said the woman was in no position to consent.
Hoiby’s trial is scheduled to run until March 19th.
Norway’s royal family faces multiple challenges in addition to the trial and the ongoing investigation into Mette-Marit’s relationship with Epstein.
The palace told Reuters on Wednesday that Mette-Marit’s planned personal trip abroad had been postponed until further notice, without providing further details. The news was first reported by the daily Aftenposten.
A poll conducted by the daily Verdens Gang on Monday showed that the number of Norwegians who support the monarchy has fallen to 61% from 72% last year, while those who want a republic have risen 10 points to 27%.
King Harald, 88, Europe’s oldest living monarch, curtailed his activities in 2024 after being hospitalized for treatment for an infection and subsequently receiving a pacemaker.
Mettemarit herself was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic disease that causes scarring in the lungs, in 2018 and required a lung transplant.
King Harald’s daughter Martha Louise will step back from royal duties in 2022 to pursue her own business, and said she and her husband, an American self-proclaimed shaman, will refrain from using their title as princess in commercial situations.
The couple faced criticism last year for criticizing the king and queen when they appeared in a Netflix documentary documenting their daily lives, including their wedding.
