Marius Borg Høiby, the stepson of Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit, was arrested for allegedly raping a woman in Oslo, Norway.
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This is his third arrest in recent months.
According to the New York Post, Borg Høiby, who was born before Princess Mette-Marit’s marriage to Prince Haakon, was taken into custody earlier this week. Local law enforcement confirmed he was preliminarily charged with having “sexual intercourse with someone who is unconscious or for other reasons unable to resist the act.”
Although officials did not reveal the exact date the alleged rape took place, they explained that “the victim must have been unable to resist the act.”
The alleged victim’s lawyer, Hege Salomon also claimed, “She is having a hard time.” Salomon also noted that it wasn’t his client that brought the case, but the police.
Princess Mette-Marit’s stepson has denied all allegations.
The officials further reported that Borg Høiby was arrested while he was in a car with a girlfriend. He was previously accused of physically assaulting the same woman in a domestic violence situation this past August. Agence France-Presse reported at the time that authorities found a knife lodged in one of the walls of the woman’s bedroom
Several preliminary charges have also been made against Borg Høiby. This includes violating several restraining orders and driving without a valid driver’s license. His cases involve four women and one man.
Borg Høiby currently resides with Mette-Marit and Haakon, as well as stepsiblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus. Despite living on the royal grounds, he has no official royal duties.
He was four years old when Mette-Marit and Haakon married in 2001.
The Defense Attorney of Princess Mette-Marit’s Stepson Speaks Out
Following Marius Borg Høiby’s arrest, his defense attorney Øyvind Bratlien spoke to NBC News about the situation.
“Høiby only pleads guilty to a case of one incident of bodily harm against his last girlfriend, criminal damage in her apartment, and a threat,” he said. “For the other circumstances, he does not admit criminal guilt.”
Borg Høiby previously apologized for the events leading up to his August arrest. In a statement to NRK, he blamed his actions on “being intoxicated with alcohol and cocaine.” He also claimed the physical altercation occurred after an argument.
“I have struggled with substance abuse for a long time,” he explained. “Something I have been in treatment for in the past. I will now resume this treatment and take it very seriously.”
Borg Høiby further claimed that he has “several mental illnesses” as well.