Norway’s crown princess’ son Marius Borg Hoiby, accused of raping sleeping woman

Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, the son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been accused by a second woman of raping her while she slept, in ongoing court proceedings in Oslo. The woman described the alleged assault as her “worst nightmare.”

Hoiby, born from a relationship before Mette-Marit’s 2001 marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, faces 38 charges, including rape of four women and assaults on former girlfriends. He has pleaded not guilty to the most serious allegations and could face up to 16 years in prison if convicted.

On Tuesday, the alleged victim testified that the incident occurred on October 8, 2023, after an after-party in an apartment in Norway’s Lofoten Islands, where Hoiby and his stepfather were visiting for a surfing trip. According to her account, after initially consensual sex, Hoiby resumed sexual activity while she was asleep.

“That’s always been my worst nightmare,” she told the court, adding that she closed her eyes “so I wouldn’t have to take part in my own assault.” She described waking up to find him already engaged in sexual activity and felt as if she were “dissociating, leaving my own body.”

The prosecution presented multiple pieces of evidence, including a five-second video Hoiby filmed on his phone showing the woman asleep, as well as data from her fitness watch demonstrating she was asleep at the time. Prosecutor Sturla Henriksbo told the court that changes in her heart rate were “the most decisive factor” in proving her state of unconsciousness.

Hoiby, appearing visibly pale and with trembling hands, was scheduled to take the stand later in the proceedings.

Last week, another woman testified that Hoiby raped her in December 2018 during an after-party in the basement of his parents’ royal estate outside Oslo.

The defence maintains that all sexual encounters were consensual, describing the allegations as “perfectly normal” interactions.