Norway: Mette Marit comments on the situation surrounding her son Marius Borg Høiby

The past few months with the allegations and investigations against her eldest son Marius Borg Høiby have placed a heavy burden on Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit and the royal family. “It was hard. You can’t call it anything else,” said the 51-year-old in an interview with broadcaster NRK. “It was really, really hard for us.”

The 27-year-old Høiby is Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship and therefore the stepson of Crown Prince Haakon. New allegations have been made against him since this summer. After initial reports of alleged bodily harm and property damage, he admitted in August that he had become violent towards his then-girlfriend under the influence of alcohol and cocaine and had destroyed things in her apartment.

New allegations of several alleged sexual offenses recently emerged, which Høiby denies. He was in custody for a week in between. According to his lawyer, after his release he went straight into treatment. All allegations against him so far are accusations – he has still not been charged on any of the counts.

“If I had to describe this year in one word, it would probably be ‘challenging,’” said Mette-Marit. “It was a challenging year and a challenging autumn for us. There’s no denying that.”

Mette-Marit and Haakon did not want to comment on details. Høiby, who does not have the title of prince and is not an official member of the Norwegian royal family, has a right to privacy.
“But what we can say is that he has been receiving help, professional help from the health system for a long time,” Mette-Marit said. “I do not believe that without this help we would be able to overcome such a situation together as a family and at the same time fulfill our obligations to the Norwegian people.”

Haakon’s father, King Harald V, told the broadcaster that drugs, violence and mental health were causing major problems in Norway and around the world. “And of course it’s hard that someone we love has experienced something like this,” said the 87-year-old monarch. “But now we have to let the legal system do its job as it should. We cannot interfere in the case.”

With the king’s serious illness during a private vacation in Malaysia in February, the Norwegian royal family had to overcome another difficult situation this year. Queen Sonja (87) was very afraid for her husband. “I wondered for a moment if I would have to drive home alone,” she said. “And that wasn’t a pleasant thought.”
Harald’s personal physician Bjørn Bendz indicated that the monarch’s life was in danger. “When people approaching 90 have to go to the hospital to receive intravenous antibiotics, that is a very serious matter,” said Bendz. Europe’s oldest monarch, who has sat on the Norwegian throne since 1991, was ill with a serious infection. After flying back home, he was fitted with a permanent pacemaker.