Le Pays De France - Son of Norway crown princess stands trial for multiple rapes

Marius Borg Hoiby, Crown Princess Mette-Marit's 29-year-old son from a relationship prior to her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, is facing 38 charges, some dating back to 2018.

He was arrested again on Sunday evening on suspicion of assault, making threats with a knife and violating a restraining order.

He was remanded in custody for four weeks on Monday after police warned of a "risk of reoffending".

Hoiby, who faces up to 16 years in prison if found guilty, has admitted to some of the more minor offences but denies the most serious charges.

It comes as his mother was drawn into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal at the weekend, after unsealed US documents revealed her apparently close friendship with the convicted sex offender, who killed himself in prison in 2019.

Hoiby's trial in Oslo, which opens at 9:30 am (0830 GMT), is scheduled to last until March 19 and is expected to attract intense media coverage.

Prosecutor Sturla Henriksbo told AFP that Hoiby would "neither be treated more leniently nor more severely because of his family".

The defence has not made a public statement ahead of the trial. Hoiby will enter pleas for all of the charges on Tuesday and is expected to take the stand for the first time on Wednesday.

A tall strapping blond with slicked-back hair, earrings and tattoos, Hoiby was arrested on August 4, 2024 suspected of assaulting his girlfriend the night before.

Several days later, he admitted he had acted "under the influence of alcohol and cocaine after an argument", having suffered from "mental troubles" and struggling "for a long time with substance abuse".

The investigation into that incident uncovered a string of other suspected offences, including the rapes of four women while they were sleeping or passed out drunk, some of which he filmed.

The four rapes allegedly took place in 2018, 2023 and 2024, the last one after the police investigation began.

Last month police announced six more counts against him, including a "serious narcotics offence" from 2020 in which he confessed to transporting 3.5 kilos (nearly eight pounds) of marijuana.

- Kicks and punches -

The first of Hoiby's seven alleged victims -- who all have restraining orders against him -- is due to testify on Tuesday.

Their identities have not been disclosed, with the exception of his ex-girlfriend Nora Haukland, a model and influencer who has publicly accused him of physical abuse.

Between the summer of 2022 and the autumn of 2023, while the two were in a relationship, Hoiby repeatedly struck her in the face, kicked and punched her, grabbed her by the throat, threw her against a refrigerator and hurled insults at her, according to the charge sheet.

The scandal, among the worst in the history of the Norwegian monarchy, has dealt a blow to its reputation, though it remains broadly popular thanks to King Harald and Queen Sonja -- both 88 -- who are respected as unifying figures.

In the streets of Oslo, opinions about the scandal differ.

Philip Wilson, a 35-year-old security guard and student, said the palace had handled the situation "terribly".

"I think the PR firms at the castle have a lot to do," he told AFP.

Meanwhile, Jostein Grosaas, a 66-year-old lawyer, said the scandal "has not changed my view on the royal family at all".

Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit will not attend the trial, nor will the king and queen.

Mette-Marit is currently fighting battles on several fronts.

The 52-year-old suffers from an incurable lung disease that makes it hard for her to breathe, and will likely need a risky lung transplant in the future.

She has also faced harsh criticism in recent days over her links with Epstein.

The verdict against Marius Borg Hoiby is expected several weeks after the end of the trial.

(Y.Rousseau--LPdF)