Marius Borg Høiby is free again: what’s next for him

Marius Borg Høiby was in custody in Oslo for a week and was not allowed to receive any visitors or letters. The son of Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been free again since Wednesday and the police no longer see any risk of evidence tampering. At the same time, she announced that there was an investigation into another possible crime. The scandal is by no means over for the Norwegian royal family. What’s next for the 27-year-old?

Before a trial can take place, the public prosecutor must file charges. As Norwegian media report, the police currently expect to complete the investigation in the first half of 2025. A process would then not take place until summer at the earliest, but it is also possible that the whole thing could drag on until autumn 2025. Until then, Borg Høiby is presumed innocent. But the allegations are serious.

Six alleged victims have so far reported to the police, including two women who accuse Borg Høiby of rape when they were in a state where they could not defend themselves. Three ex-girlfriends accuse him of mistreatment, and there is also a man who is said to have threatened to kill Marius Borg Høiby. The police imposed a ban on contact with three women – it is not known which women they were. But Crown Prince Haakon’s stepson is also accused of violating such a contact ban. There is also talk of bodily harm and property damage. Marius Borg Høiby already admitted the last two points and a threat in a statement, but he denies the remaining allegations. His lawyer spoke of misjudgments by the judiciary.

In the worst case scenario, Marius Borg Høiby faces several years in prison: the offense of rape alone can result in a prison sentence of up to ten years, and up to six years in prison for so-called abuse in close relationships. Crown Prince Haakon recently commented on the investigation, calling the matter “very serious” and reporting that they as a family had been trying to get Marius help for a long time. After the first arrest in August 204, Borg told Høiby that he had been suffering from mental illness since childhood, admitted drug abuse and assured that he would get help.

But that hasn’t happened yet, on the contrary: One of the alleged incidents is said to have happened after his first arrest, and leaked messages and photos from private chats also made his remorse seem unbelievable. All of this has consequences for Norway’s royal family: According to surveys, acceptance of the monarchy has been dwindling since then, and the popularity of Borg Høiby’s mother, Mette-Marit, in particular, is likely to suffer.

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