The son of Norway's crown princess will stand trial on Tuesday (February 3) on charges of rape, domestic violence, assault and drug possession, among other crimes, one of several cases that have shaken the Norwegian monarchy.

Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson to Crown Prince Haakon, could face multiple years in prison if found guilty of the most serious of the 38 charges brought against him.

His lawyer Petar Sekulic told Reuters he did not admit criminal guilt for the charges of rape or domestic violence, but did admit guilt for some of the less serious matters.

The case is scheduled to run until March 19. Hoiby is scheduled to testify on Wednesday (February 4).

On Sunday (February 1) Norway police detained him on suspicion of causing bodily harm, wielding a knife and violating a restraining order. His lawyer declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.

The court case is the most serious crisis to hit the Norwegian royal family in peacetime, according to historian Trond Noren Isaksen, though Hoiby does not have a royal title and is outside the line of succession.

The start of the trial also comes days after his mother Mette-Marit apologised for her "poor judgment" for maintaining contacts with the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after he was convicted of child sex crimes in 2008.

Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit are not planning to attend court proceedings, Haakon said in a statement, adding he trusted the justice system to be fair and proper.

The Nordic country is a constitutional monarchy in which the king is the formal head of state while political power rests with parliament and the government.

Among the charges against Hoiby are one count of rape with sexual intercourse and three counts of rape without intercourse, some of which he filmed on his telephone, the prosecution said.

In January, it added new charges, including of possession and transport of 3.5 kg (7.72 pounds) of marijuana.

In 2024, police named Hoiby as a suspect of physical assault against a woman with whom he had been in a relationship.

The trial comes at a time of multiple challenges for the family, in addition to the ongoing scrutiny Mette-Marit is receiving for her ties to Epstein.

King Harald, 88, Europe's oldest living monarch, cut back activity in 2024 after being hospitalised to treat an infection and later receiving a pacemaker.

Mette-Marit is in need of a lung transplant after being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, a chronic disease that causes scarring in the lungs and leads to a reduced oxygen uptake.

Meanwhile, King Harald's daughter, Martha Louise, stepped down from official royal duties in 2022 to allow her to more freely pursue her own business ventures, and said both she and her husband, an American self-styled shaman, would refrain from using her title as princess in a commercial setting.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: OSLO, NORWAY (FILE - JANUARY 17, 2016) (TV2 - No use Norway. No use Russia)

1. NORWAY'S CROWN PRINCE, HAAKON, PRINCESS, INGRID ALEXANDRA, CROWN PRINCESS, METTE-MARIT, MARIUS BORG HOIBY (STANDING NEXT TO CROWN PRINCESS METTE-MARIT) IN CHURCH CELEBRATING KING HARALD'S 25 YEARS ON THE THRONE

2. VARIOUS OF VICAR GREETING CROWN PRINCESS METTE-MARIT AND BORG HOIBY

DRAMMEN, NORWAY (JANUARY 29, 2026)(REUTERS – Access all)

3. (SOUNDBITE)(English) HISTORIAN AND ROYAL COMMENTATOR FOR TV2 NORWAY, OLE-JORGEN SCHULSRUD-HANSEN, SAYING:

“Marius Borg Hoiby has been accused of quite many criminal acts. I think now it summarises to 38 different acts, which is both drugs and it’s domestic violence. And also sexual abuse, which are seen as the most serious, of course, and which are the accusations that are most focused on in the Norwegian and, of course, the international press."

GAMLEHAUGEN, NEAR BERGEN, NORWAY (FILE - AUGUST 26, 2025) (TV2 – No use Norway, No use Russia)

4. CROWN PRINCESS METTE-MARIT AND CROWN PRINCE HAAKON WALKING TO SOUND OF APPLAUSE FROM THE PUBLIC, QUEEN SONJA WALKING NEXT TO THEM

5. VARIOUS OF CROWN PRINCE HAAKON WALKING TOWARDS STAGE / PEOPLE APPLAUDING

6. CHOIR ON STAGE

7. CROWN PRINCE HAAKON GIVING SPEECH ON PODIUM

8. VARIOUS OF CROWN PRINCESS METTE-MARIT, KING HARALD, QUEEN SONIA AND CROWN PRINCE HAAKON LISTENING

9. AUDIENCE

10. VARIOUS OF CROWN PRINCESS METTE-MARIT, KING HARALD, QUEEN SONJA AND CROWN PRINCE HAAKON LISTENING, CLAPPING HANDS

DRAMMEN, NORWAY (JANUARY 29, 2026)(REUTERS – Access all)

11. (SOUNDBITE)(English) HISTORIAN AND ROYAL COMMENTATOR FOR TV2 NORWAY, OLE-JORGEN SCHULSRUD-HANSEN, SAYING:

“I don't see it as a crisis of the monarchy as an institution. I think that the institution has a longer perspective than these years. But I think that it's been hard for the monarchy to get focused on the things that they want focus on. For example, when they do representation, they want focus on the things they actually are doing, not a trial or a criminal case against a person who's not really a part of the official royal household.”

OSLO, NORWAY (FILE - OCTOBER 11, 2024) (REUTERS – Access all)

12. VARIOUS OF ROYAL PALACE

DRAMMEN, NORWAY (JANUARY 29, 2026)(REUTERS – Access all)

13. (SOUNDBITE)(English) HISTORIAN AND ROYAL COMMENTATOR FOR TV2 NORWAY, OLE-JORGEN SCHULSRUD-HANSEN, SAYING:

“I think there will be a lot of focus on, of course, Marius Borg Hoiby and the alleged victims of his crimes. But it will be interesting to see how much it actually redirects to the monarchy in a way that everything that comes out in the courtroom, because the crown prince and the Royal Household at large have been quite clear on the matter that Marius Borg Hoiby is not part of the Royal Household.”

OSLO, NORWAY (JANUARY 27, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

14. VARIOUS OF OSLO DISTRICT COURT HOUSE EXTERIOR

15. SIGN ABOVE DOOR READING (Norwegian): "Oslo district court"

16. INTERIOR, SIGN READING “(Norwegian): "Courtroom 250"

17. VARIOUS OF SIGN TO COURTROOM WHERE TRIAL WILL BE HELD

OSLO, NORWAY (FILE - AUGUST 25, 2001) (REUTERS – Access all) (ORIGINALLY 4:3)

18. VARIOUS OF CROWN PRINCE HAAKON KISSING METTE-MARIT ON PALACE BALCONY / COUPLE WAVING AND KISSING

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (FILE - JUNE 8, 2013) (REUTERS – Access all)

19. CROWN PRINCE COUPLE ARRIVING FOR SWEDISH PRINCESS MADELEINE'S WEDDING TO CHRISTOPHER O'NEILL

DRAMMEN, NORWAY (JANUARY 29, 2026)(REUTERS – Access all)

20. (SOUNDBITE)(English) HISTORIAN AND ROYAL COMMENTATOR FOR TV2 NORWAY, OLE-JORGEN SCHULSRUD-HANSEN, SAYING:

“When the news broke about Marius Borg Hoiby, it coincided with the controversies regarding Princess Martha Louise and her wedding to Durek Verrett. And so it was a time of general negative news about the Norwegian royal family. So it had a bit of a dip, really, the popularity of the monarchy. And, but in the months and now close to two years since these revelations, the monarchy has been more active at work, really, representing in Norway and outside. So the popularity has risen again.”

GEIRANGER, NORWAY (FILE - AUGUST 31, 2024) (TV2 - No use Norway and Russia)

21. PRINCESS MARTHA LOUISE AND GROOM, U.S. SPIRITUAL GURU DUREK VERRETT, KISSING AND SHOWING OFF RINGS TO CAMERAS