ISLAMABAD: Marius Borg Hoiby, the eldest son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, was sentenced Monday to four years in prison after an Oslo court found him guilty of two counts of rape and several other offenses involving multiple women, according to BBC News.
The 29-year-old, who is not a member of Norway's royal family but was raised within the royal household after his mother married Crown Prince Haakon, was acquitted of two additional rape charges. Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of seven years and seven months, while defense lawyers argued for a term of 18 months.
Hoiby did not attend the verdict in person, citing unspecified health reasons, but participated via video link from prison.
The ruling followed a high-profile trial that has cast a shadow over Norway's monarchy, already facing public scrutiny amid Crown Princess Mette-Marit's worsening health. The palace declined to comment on the verdict, saying only that the matter had been decided by the courts.
In a 128-page judgment, Oslo District Court found Hoiby guilty of raping two women who were unable to resist because they were asleep or incapacitated. One assault occurred at the Skaugum estate, the residence of the crown prince and crown princess, in 2018. The second involved a woman in Oslo in 2024.
The court also convicted Høiby of abusing former girlfriend and social media influencer Nora Haukland, as well as causing serious bodily harm to another partner. He was acquitted of two other rape allegations stemming from separate encounters in Oslo and the Lofoten Islands.
Defense attorney Petar Sekulic said an appeal was likely.
"It is in the nature of the case that there could be an appeal," Sekulic said.
The case involved six women and drew significant public attention because of Høiby's connection to Norway's royal family. Prosecutors said several of the women were unaware they had been assaulted until investigators discovered videos on Hoiby's phone following his arrest in August 2024.
One woman, whose case resulted in a conviction, testified that she was asleep when Hoiby assaulted her after a party in Oslo in March 2024. The court agreed that she had been unable to resist.
Only one of the women was present in court for the verdict. She was seen crying as the conviction was announced.
The court ordered Hoiby to pay a total of 640,000 Norwegian kroner ($61,000) in compensation to four women, including Haukland.
Following the ruling, defense lawyers again sought Hoiby's release from prison, arguing he should be allowed to spend time with his mother, who suffers from pulmonary fibrosis and has been placed on a lung transplant waiting list. The court rejected the request, citing concerns he could contact a woman he had previously assaulted and against whom he had violated a restraining order.
The case has fueled debate in Norway about the handling of sexual assault cases. Criminologist Anja Emilie Kruse of the University of Oslo said many rape allegations never reach trial and that acquittals remain common.
"These two women who today experienced their cases ending in acquittal are far from alone," Kruse said, noting that many victims never see their cases prosecuted.
Royal commentator Caroline Vagle said the scandal has damaged public perceptions of the monarchy, though concern for Mette-Marit's deteriorating health now dominates public discussion.
"There is no doubt that this case has affected people's perception of the royal family," Vagle said.
Public relations expert Peggy Simcic Bronn described the situation as an institutional crisis for the monarchy.
"This is a tragedy and a crisis for any family," Bronn said. "The way they handle it is let the person be convicted, let him serve his sentence, but try to make amends as a family for what that person has done to their reputation and the impact on the royal house itself."
