Key facts
- Marius Borg Høiby, stepson of Norway's Crown Prince Haakon, was convicted of two counts of rape.
- He was also found guilty of domestic violence.
- Høiby was sentenced to four years in prison by an Oslo court.
- He was acquitted of two other rape charges.
- A two-year restraining order was issued against Høiby.
- Prosecutors had sought a sentence of over seven years.
Marius Borg Høiby, the 29-year-old stepson of Norway's Crown Prince Haakon and son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been sentenced to four years in prison by an Oslo court after being convicted of two counts of rape and domestic violence. He was acquitted of two other rape charges. The court also issued a two-year restraining order against him concerning one of his alleged victims.
Høiby, who holds no royal title or official duties, pleaded not guilty to the most severe accusations but admitted to some lesser offenses, including transporting and delivering 3.5 kg of marijuana, violating restraining orders, and traffic violations. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of seven years and seven months.
The seven-week trial, which detailed Høiby's drug addiction and included hundreds of incriminating electronic messages as evidence, gripped the Nordic country. One alleged rape reportedly took place in the basement of the crown prince’s family home. The case, alongside Crown Princess Mette-Marit's apology for maintaining contact with the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has contributed to a decline in the popularity of the royal family.