Son of Norway's crown princess arrested on suspicion of rape, police say

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The eldest son of Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been arrested again, this time on suspicion of rape, police said Tuesday.

Marius Borg Høiby is the stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, heir to the Norwegian throne, and Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship. He holds no royal title or official duties.

Borg Høiby was arrested in Oslo late Monday on charges of “sexual intercourse with a person who is unconscious or unable to resist the act for other reasons.” Preliminary charges come before a formal charge and allow authorities to detain suspects during the investigation.

Police did not say when the alleged rape took place, but said only that “the victim must have been unable to resist the act.” Norwegian media said Borg Høiby denied the accusation.

Hege Salomon, the lawyer of the woman who was allegedly raped, said that she was “having a difficult time”. He told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the police brought the case, not the woman. The woman was not identified.

NTB news agency said the royal palace had no comment.

On August 4, police officers responded to a disturbance in downtown Oslo and briefly detained Borg Høiby. He faced preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage and was released. Details were unclear, but police said there was “a relationship between the suspect and the victim.”

More preliminary charges have since been laid against Borg Høiby, including violating various restraining orders and driving without a valid driver’s licence. All cases involve four women and one man.

This incident became the most talked about news in Norway, where the royal family is popular.

Borg Høiby, 27, lives with the royal couple and their two children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus.

The future queen of Norway made headlines when she married Haakon in 2001 because she was a single mother living a free life with a friend convicted on drug charges.

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