The son of Norway’s new Queen Mette-Marit was permitted to take part in royal funeral proceedings for the late King Harald despite being under house arrest. Marius Borg Høiby, who was convicted of two counts of rape in June, joined members of the royal family as the monarch’s coffin was moved through the Royal Palace.
His conviction followed a high-profile trial involving 38 charges and six women, with videos recovered from his phone serving as key evidence in the rape cases.
3Marius Borg Høiby was allowed to join Norway’s royal family as they accompanied the late King Harald’s coffin through the Royal Palace in Oslo on Monday.
The 29-year-old son of Queen Mette-Marit took part despite currently being under house arrest at the Skaugum royal estate. According to PEOPLE, Høiby was granted permission to attend some events honoring his step-grandfather following the monarch’s death on August 28.
During the procession, Harald’s coffin was moved from the palace’s Red Salon to the Palace Chapel ahead of his September 9 state funeral. Høiby walked near the back of the coffin as King Haakon, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra and other members of the family took part.
Marius Borg Høiby Convicted On Two Rape Charges
Høiby’s legal troubles culminated in June when an Oslo court found him guilty of raping two women, while acquitting him of two additional rape charges.
The court determined that one victim was raped at Skaugum in 2018 while she was asleep and unable to resist. The other conviction involved a woman in Oslo in 2024. Prosecutors said she had been asleep or incapacitated following consensual sex.
Videos discovered on Høiby’s phone became key evidence in the case. The women had reportedly been unaware of the incidents until police uncovered the footage after his arrest.
The judges also convicted Høiby of abusing ex-girlfriend and Norwegian influencer Nora Haukland, as well as causing serious bodily harm to another former partner.
Marius Borg Høiby Moved To House Arrest Amid Appeal
Høiby moved from prison to electronic monitoring at Skaugum on July 14 as his case continued through the appeals process.
His four-year sentence had not become legally binding because both sides challenged parts of the ruling. Prosecutors sought to keep Høiby in custody in the meantime, arguing there remained a risk of new offenses.
The arrangement allowed him to stay in a residence at Skaugum, where his mother and stepfather live. Palace communications manager Guri Varpe said the couple wanted to support Høiby during that period.
Queen Mette-Marit Has Faced Controversy Of Her Own
3Long before becoming Norway’s new queen, Mette-Marit’s relationship with Haakon generated intense scrutiny. The pair met at a music festival in 1999, when she was a 25-year-old single mother and commoner with ties to Norway’s house music scene.
They married in 2001, and Mette-Marit eventually carved out a public role promoting literature, global health and charitable causes. However, controversy returned in 2026 after the U.S. Justice Department released emails revealing her past correspondence with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The exchanges continued after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. Mette-Marit waited seven weeks before addressing the revelations publicly, eventually saying she had been “manipulated and deceived.” She also apologized to the royal family, per Reuters.
King Haakon And Queen Mette-Marit Face An Awkward Family And Monarchy Divide
3On a personal level, there is an obvious case for Høiby’s inclusion in the mourning period. Haakon entered his life when he was a small child, so Harald effectively served as grandfather for most of Høiby’s upbringing.
The problem for the palace is that private family bonds do not disappear when the cameras arrive. Høiby’s criminal case had already damaged the royal family’s image before his conviction.
The Associated Press described the proceedings as casting a shadow over the monarchy. A Guardian analysis in June also argued that a series of scandals had eroded public trust, one of the institution’s greatest assets.
Haakon has tried to draw a clear distinction. Before the trial, he stressed that Høiby was not part of the Royal House and should face the same responsibilities as any other Norwegian citizen. At the same time, he called him an important member of the family.
