Norway's King Harald V, Queen Sonja, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and Prince Sverre Magnus gathered for a group photo aboard the kingship Norway in the Geirangerfjord on August 31, 2024, during the wedding of Princess Martha Louise of Norway and her future husband, Durek Verrett. – AFP
A series of rape and assault allegations against the son of Norway's future queen have plunged the royal family into its 'biggest scandal' ever, marking an 'annus horribilis' for the monarchy. Marius Borg Hoiby, the 27-year-old son born out of Crown Princess Mette-Marit's previous relationship before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, has been at the center of the controversy since August. The tall, blond, and often 'bad boy' styled Hoiby, frequently seen in tuxedos, slicked-back hair, earrings, and tattoos, was arrested in Oslo on August 4 on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend the previous night. A photograph of a knife stuck in the wall of her apartment soon surfaced in the media, along with reports that Hoiby handed over a partially destroyed cell phone with no SIM card to the police. Hoiby admitted to the assault and damage a few days later, attributing them to a cocaine- and alcohol-fueled argument. He acknowledged struggling 'for a long time with substance abuse' and 'mental health troubles'. Hoiby, who reportedly has friends in criminal circles, was raised with his two step-siblings but holds no official role in the royal family. His legal troubles have only escalated since August, with two ex-girlfriends coming forward to accuse him of assault. By December, the police suspicions against him had expanded to include death threats, violation of a restraining order, two rapes, and a third possible sex crime. When the first rape allegation emerged in November, Hoiby spent a week in police custody—an unprecedented move for a member of the Norwegian royal family. 'It's snowballing and it doesn't seem to be able to stop,' said Sigrid Hvidsten, a columnist at daily Dagbladet. 'It's the biggest scandal ever in the Norwegian royal family.' Police have yet to press any charges against Hoiby, who has so far only admitted to the assault and damage during the night of August 3-4, as well as death threats against an unidentified man. While the saga is far from over, it marks a challenging year for Norway's royal family, its own 'annus horribilis', according to Hvidsten. Norway's royals have been largely scandal-free and hugely popular for decades. However, even before the Hoiby affair, their image was tarnished by Princess Martha Louise's second wedding in August. The 53-year-old eldest child of King Harald and Queen Sonja married American self-proclaimed shaman Durek Verrett. Both are devotees of alternative therapies: she claims to be a clairvoyant who can communicate with angels; he calls himself a 'sixth-generation shaman' and sells expensive gold medallions that he claims save lives, prompting critics to label him a charlatan. The couple faced harsh criticism for using her royal title for commercial gain, which intensified when they signed deals with Hello! magazine and Netflix for exclusive coverage of their wedding. In 2017, the royal family enjoyed the support of 81 percent of Norwegians, but by September this year, that had dropped to 62 percent. Adding to the family's woes, 87-year-old King Harald has faced a series of health issues. In February, Europe's oldest-serving monarch was repatriated from a vacation in Malaysia on a medical transport plane after contracting an infection and was then placed on lengthy sick leave. In a sign of things to come, the government allocated 20 million kroner ($1.8 million) in October for a sarcophagus for the king and queen to be installed in the royal mausoleum in Oslo. The ageing monarch has only briefly, and indirectly, addressed the family's struggles. 'Sometimes, life is just very difficult. It's something that everyone can experience, including our family,' he said in late October. 'When people we love are not doing well, it's hard for everyone around them. We're doing our best to look out for one another,' he added. Experts say the monarchy will survive as long as the scandals only concern peripheral royals. The king, queen, and the crown prince couple all remain hugely popular. 'A republic is not an immediate threat,' said Tor Bomann-Larsen, the author of several royal biographies. 'Even the worst polls show that there are twice as many Norwegians who support the monarchy. As long as its central members hold the line, the monarchy is safe.'
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