Marius Borg Høiby

Marius Borg Høiby (born 13 January 1997)^[1] is the son of Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway and the stepson of Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway. Høiby is not part of the Norwegian royal family and does not serve a public role.^[2][3]

Høiby was charged in August 2025 with 32 criminal counts, including rape and domestic violence.^[4][5] The Høiby case, together with controversies surrounding the King's son-in-law Durek Verrett, has been cited as contributing to a decline in the Norwegian royal family's reputation and increased debate about the future of the monarchy in Norway.

Høiby was born on 13 January 1997 at Aker University Hospital in Oslo^[6] to Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, then a waitress, and Morten Borg, a convicted felon.^[7] His parents were never in a relationship.^[8] His parents had been introduced by Mette-Marit's then-fiancé and cohabitant, John Ognby, a man convicted of violence and drug-related offenses, and with whom Mette-Marit split up after he chased her down the street with a knife around the time she became pregnant with Marius.^[9][10][11] At the time of Høiby's birth, Borg was in prison for drug-related violent crimes. Høiby resided in a lower working class environment outside Oslo where several of his mother's acquaintances and family members had served time in prison.^[8] At this time, his mother was known by the nickname "Sørlandsporten" because she was from Sørlandet and was considered a "party girl" who had a series of relationships with men in Oslo's drug scene.^[12][13] In the summer of 1997, a few months after Marius was born, Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby entered into a relationship with a disc jockey and self-described "life artist" from Oslo who was ten years her senior.^[9] He became Marius' first stepfather and lived with them for the next year.^[9] In the summer of 1998, Mette-Marit ended the relationship and returned to her childhood home in Kristiansand.^[9] There, she raised Marius with her new partner, also a local disc jockey, until the couple separated a little under a year later in early 1999.^[9][8]

When his mother entered the public spotlight as the girlfriend of Prince Haakon of Norway, Høiby was nicknamed "Little Marius" by the media. The nickname stuck; it was also used by Queen Sonja, who said that "Little Marius is just the world's cutest little bright guy, who is so charming and wonderful, so it's definitely not a problem for me, at least".^[8] The nickname is derived from a character in the 1883 novel Poison, who – like Høiby – is illegitimate and a perceived outsider.^[14]

Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby and Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway announced their engagement in December 2000.^[15] Haakon thus became Marius' third stepfather when he was around four. The fact that Mette-Marit was a single mother and the fact that Høiby's father was a convicted felon created controversy. TV 2 later wrote that "merely by existing, Marius Borg Høiby was seen by many as a scandal for the royal family."^[8] The couple married in 2001.^[16]

Høiby is not part of the Norwegian royal family and does not serve a public role.^[2][3] Jo Moen Bredeveien of Dagsavisen wrote that "in a documentary on TV2, the king's sister (Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen) comes across as almost uncomfortably prophetic. She expressed concern about how things would turn out for Marius, now that the Crown Princess was pregnant with Ingrid Alexandra, the nation's future queen: 'I feel terribly sorry for her son. When they have a child, poor Marius will be nothing. He is six years old, but he will understand that there is a difference. That will cause problems for them. I hope they have thought it through,' the princess said."^[17]

Høiby's maternal grandfather, Sven O. Høiby, frequently spoke publicly about Høiby during his childhood, stating that his grandson should be given the title of prince to avoid feeling second-class and becoming a target of bullying.^[8]

Høiby has multiple half- or step-siblings on both his parents' sides, including Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus on his mother's side.^[18][19]

Høiby graduated from high school in 2016. The following year, he began to study business in the United States,^[20] but dropped out after a few months without completing a degree.

In late 2017, Høiby moved back to Norway briefly before working as an intern for designer Philipp Plein.^[21] He then worked as a style editor for the UK-based fashion magazine Tempus until its closure in December 2018. Høiby moved back to Norway in 2019, residing in Tønsberg with then-partner Juliane Snekkestad.^[22] After the couple split in 2022, Høiby moved to one of the houses at Skaugum, the official residence of the Crown Prince and Princess.^[23][24] Sociologist Trond Blindheim said: "He hasn’t had a job or education, but has traveled around as a kind of playboy".^[25]

Since 2016, Høiby has been in a series of high-profile relationships. Between 2016 and 2017, he was in a relationship with wealthy heir Linn Helena Nilsen.^[21][26] From 2018 to 2022, Høiby was in a relationship with model and actress Juliane Snekkestad, whom he had met while working in Los Angeles.^[27][28] He also briefly dated influencer Nora Haukland after his relationship with Snekkestad ended. Høiby split from Haukland in 2023.^[29]

In 2025, a police interrogation of Høiby revealed that the crown prince "together with the crown princess" took care of his bills. Høiby received 20,000 kroner each month.^[30][31]

Høiby has invited members of the Hells Angels criminal gang to events at his home that he called "Skaugum festivals" where drugs were consumed and where Mette-Marit personally received them.^{[32][33][34][35]}

As of December 2024, Høiby had started a program of drug rehabilitation.^[36]

Høiby was convicted of drug possession in 2017 at the Palmesus festival at Bystranda in Kristiansand. He was fined 4000 Norwegian kroner for this incident.^[37]

Høiby was arrested in August 2024.^[38]

On 13 September 2024, police arrested Høiby. He was released the next day.^[39] Høiby has not admitted culpability to the justice system.^[40] Results of a blood test were consistent recent use of "cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis".^[41] The following day, the media released recordings in which Høiby can be heard making multiple references to having slapped a girlfriend.^[42] On 23 August, he was charged with having threatened the woman.^[43][40]

On 18 November 2024, Høiby was arrested on suspicion of rape.^[44] He was remanded to Hamar Prison,^[45][46] where he was held incommunicado.^[47][48] He was released on 27 November 2024.^[49]

On 19 November, it was announced that Høiby was also charged with "abuse in close relationships," violating a restraining order, and driving without a valid driver's license.^[48]

On 25 November, it became known that Høiby was under investigation for raping another woman.^[50][51]

Following police charges on 27 June 2025, Høiby's alleged victims include:

• The "woman in Frogner" (an Oslo neighbourhood). Two instances of violence against her were reported. She is a former girlfriend of Høiby, and his last one, according to the media in September 2024.^[52][53]
• Violence against a named woman at a date that has not been made public. She was once a girlfriend of Høiby.^[52]
• Sexual assault (or rape)^[54] of a woman that was unable to resist. There was no intercourse, according to the police. The court closed its doors to journalists, when the court system decided that Høiby would remain detained until 27 November. The alleged victim has not pressed charges.^[55][56] Høiby had previously been arrested on 18 November.^[57][44] On November 8, an investigation started after police found video clips on his mobile phone.^[50] The incident allegedly happened on Palm Sunday in an apartment registered to the alleged victim; she does not know the other alleged victims.^[58] The woman is in her 20s.^{[50][clarification needed]}
• Another charge of rape is in regard to a woman in her 20s.^[50] There was no intercourse, according to the police.^[59] She was allegedly raped on 26 September, at Skaugum.^{[50][clarification needed]}

• In regard to another rape charge, the prosecutor claims that the alleged victim fell asleep sometime after voluntary intercourse had started.^[60]

• One person has allegedly received a death threat from Høiby, according to the police.^[52][61]

On 18 August 2025, state attorney Sturla Henriksbø presented the indictment against Høiby. He was charged with 32 different offenses, including the rapes of four different women, as well as abuse in intimate relationships against his former partner Nora Haukland. He was also charged with several acts of violence against another former partner.^[62]

As of August 2025, Høiby was scheduled to face trial in January 2026.^[63]

The media claims (as of November 2024) that Høiby and his family have received preferential treatment from police.^[41] Mette-Marit has been accused of warning her son about his impending arrest and of evidence tampering and witness tampering.^[64][65]

The Høiby case has been described in Norwegian media as one of the most extensive rape investigations in recent years.^[66] The Høiby case, together with controversies surrounding the King's son-in-law Durek Verrett, has been cited as contributing to a decline in the Norwegian royal family's reputation and increased debate about the future of the monarchy in Norway.^{[67][68][69][31]}

In 2018, Høiby was referred to as a prince of Norway in Tempus, where he briefly worked as an editor. This event led to criticism from several Norwegian media outlets until the references were removed from print and from the magazine's website.^[70]

As of 2025, Høiby does not have a diplomatic passport. During 2024, media stated that he had abused a diplomatic passport.^[71]

• Fredrik Gulsvik
• Julio Kopseng