How Marius Hoiby went from living in Norway royal family’s ‘gilded cage’ to alleged rapist

Marius Borg Hoiby, the son of Norway’s future queen from a previous relationship, was initially welcomed into the royal family, but now, facing trial accused of four rapes, he has become a liability.The 29-year-old, who was born before his mother Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby married Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon, goes on trial in Oslo’s district court on Tuesday accused of 38 counts, including four rapes and assaults against ex-girlfriends.He was arrested on August 4, 2024, suspected of assaulting his then girlfriend and causing damage to her flat the previous night.After that, allegations against him poured in: several ex-girlfriends came forward and accused him of assault, and police gradually widened their investigation against him to include suspected rapes, death threats, drug offences, invasion of privacy, violation of restraining orders and more.Hoiby has admitted only to some minor offences.In a public statement 10 days after his arrest, he admitted he had acted “under the influence of alcohol and cocaine after an argument”, after suffering from “mental troubles” and struggling “for a long time with substance abuse”.