Son of Norway princess charged with four rapes

Pallade Veneta - Son of Norway princess charged with four rapes

Son of Norway princess charged with four rapes / Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen - NTB/AFP/File

A son of Norway's crown princess has been charged with 32 offences including four rapes and several acts of violence and assault, a prosecutor said on Monday.

Change text size:

Marius Borg Hoiby, who was born from a relationship before Crown Princess Mette-Marit's married Crown Prince Haakon, has been under investigation since his arrest on August 4 last year on suspicion of assaulting a girlfriend.

In addition to four counts of rape, the charges include domestic abuse against a former partner and several counts of violence, disturbing the peace, vandalism and violation of restraining orders against another former partner.

He is also charged with filming the genitals of a number of women without their knowledge or consent, public prosecutor Sturla Henriksbo told reporters.

"The maximum penalty for the offences listed in the indictment is imprisonment of up to 10 years," he said.

"These are very serious acts that can leave lasting scars and destroy lives," the prosecutor said.

"The fact that Marius Borg Hoiby is a member of the royal family should, of course, not mean that he should be treated more lightly or more severely than if similar acts had been committed by others," Henriksbo stressed.

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

Hoiby has already admitted to assault and vandalism in the August 2024 incident for which he was arrested.

In a public statement 10 days after his arrest, he said 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".

Hoiby was propelled into the spotlight at the age of four when his mother married Norway's crown prince, with whom she went on to have two more children.

He was raised by the royal couple alongside his step-siblings Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, aged 21 and 19.

Unlike them, however, he has no official public role.

H.Lagomarsino--PV

Worcestershire road closures announced for Remembrance Sunday events

MOTORISTS are being warned to expect road closures across Worcestershire this weekend as towns and villages come together to mark Remembrance Sunday. A number of parades and services will take place this Sunday (November 8), giving residents the opportunity to remember members of the Armed Forces who have served and lost their lives in wars and other conflicts.

Kuwait marks key events and anniversaries from national history

KUWAIT: Following are events that took place in Kuwait on November 4: 1984 — Poet Abdullah Al-Sanan, whose poems reflected social, economic and political changes, died at the age of 67. 1990 — Syrian forces arrived in the Saudi port of Yanbu to join the international coalition troops stationed in Saudi Arabia to liberate Kuwait from the Iraqi occupation.

Qatar media bodies discuss support for humanitarian initiatives

Qatar Media Corporation, in collaboration with the Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities (RACA), organized a seminar titled 'Developmental Media and Philanthropic Work: A Partnership for Sustainable Impact' to mark World Development Information Day. The event featured the participation of a distinguished group of media professionals, experts, and representatives from various charitable and humanitarian organizations and associations in Qatar.

Vessel operator seeks witnesses after Vancouver grounding

VANCOUVER — The operator of a vessel that ran aground on a sandbar off Vancouver last month says “malicious” tampering was the cause and he’s urging witnesses to come forward. Kevin Skewes, the owner of Spirit Cruises, says someone hit the Pride of Vancouver’s kill switch on the night of Oct.