Marius Borg Høiby, 28, who is connected to the Norwegian royal family, is being investigated on serious charges. This news follows the alleged harassment of TV personality Linni Meister, for whom the above reactions are not uncommon. The reported rape prior to that incident occurred at Skaugum Castle, where Meister says she was raped by a military attaché while passed out at a basement party. While Høiby may have had easy connections to the royal family, he is far from the line of succession. In total, he’s charged with 17 serious counts, including domestic violence, rape, and threats to kill.
Her case has been made even more dramatic by Høiby’s failure to cooperate with police, including defying orders to appear for questioning. To this day, authorities have found damning evidence on Høiby’s laptop. This consists of three videos and more than a dozen photos of the alleged incident. This evidence, especially the video footage, has almost undoubtedly led to the charges being filed against him.
Høiby’s personal life has come under scrutiny amidst these allegations. He was just recently holed up at one such lavish place, the Hotel d’Angleterre in Copenhagen. There, he went through a physical revolution, most famously by dyeing his hair black. For his media-grabbing actions, especially considering the stature of his family, his actions have garnered more press attention. His mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, will soon be queen consort. His mother’s second husband, Crown Prince Haakon, is the heir apparent to the throne.
Høiby has changed his legal representation during the course of the ongoing legal proceedings. He is now being defended by lawyer Ellen Holager Andenæs.
"It has not yet been decided when my client will explain himself. We as new defence attorneys must first be given the opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the case documents," stated Ellen Holager Andenæs.
While the investigation moves forward, Andenæs stressed Høiby’s legal rights to self-explain in court.
"If you are charged or indicted, you are also not obliged to explain yourself to the court," she explained.
The story is still unfolding as authorities try to piece together more information about what went down at Skaugum Castle. The case has attracted significant public and media scrutiny due to Høiby's connections with the Norwegian royal family, even though he is not an official member nor included in the royal line of succession.
