Son of Norwegian princess is charged with 4 rapes, faces 10 years in prison

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 has said.

Marius Borg Hoiby, who was born from a relationship before Crown Princess Mette-Marit 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 on Monday.

“The maximum penalty for the offences listed in the indictment is imprisonment of up to 10 years. These are very serious acts that can leave lasting scars and destroy lives,” he 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.