The Hoiby case: Court proceedings related to four rape charges now completed
After two and a half weeks, the first phase of the seven-week trial against Hoiby has concluded in courtroom 250 at the Oslo District Court.
February 20, 2026 | SOCIETY
Photo: Ahhh25, Wikimedia Commons, lisens: CC BY-SA 3.0
The Four Rape Charges
Hoiby is charged with a total of 38 counts. The four rape charges against Hoiby have now been processed and this is a summary of them.
Four aggrieved women first provided their statements, followed by the testimony of Marius Borg Hoiby. One of the four cases is said to have taken place in the basement living room of the Crown Prince family's home in Skaugum, while the Crown Prince couple and their siblings were at home. According to Hoiby, he had several after-parties in the basement living room where cocaine was used.
The four rape cases share a similar character, all having begun with flirting and consensual sexual acts. Videos of varying lengths and numbers were discovered on Hoiby’s mobile phone. In the footage, Hoiby films the women’s genital areas while touching and/or penetrating them with his fingers.
The Testimonies
Through opening statements and court proceedings, Hoiby’s defense has emphasized that this is a "party environment" characterized by heavy use of alcohol, drugs, and sex. While Hoiby admits to being part of this milieu, all four women deny being a part of it.
The women testify that they were asleep and unable to resist the sexual acts being filmed; all four state they gave no permission for either the sexual activity or the filming while in this state of sleep. Furthermore, the four women explained that they only became aware of the incidents when police showed them the films found on Hoiby’s phone. They described the discovery as shocking and the aftermath as extremely difficult, citing the incidents themselves, the resulting personal strain, and the intense media pressure surrounding the case.
Hoiby maintains that the filming was part of the consensual sexual activity he shared with the women. He claims he cannot remember the women being asleep. He is able to recall and describe some of the recordings, while others he cannot remember. Furthermore, he states that he did not hear the women say no or otherwise object to what was happening.
The Evidence
A sleep expert has evaluated the video recordings but cannot determine with 100% certainty that the women are asleep based on visual observation alone, despite the women lying still and appearing to be asleep. One of the women wore a heart rate monitor (smartwatch) that supports the claim that she was sleeping. All of the women's testimonies have been fully or partially corroborated by statements from people in their circles.
The prosecution contends that the video recordings on Hoiby’s phone prove "sleep rape" (non-consensual sex with a sleeping person), while Hoiby and his lawyers maintain it was consensual sex. Consequently, the court faces a situation common in rape cases in general and sleep-rape cases specifically: can the rapes be proven? A heart rate monitor and multiple video recordings from the defendant's phone show that the episodes actually took place; the four women's testimonies support one another and strengthen the cases collectively—though whether this is enough for a conviction in each individual instance remains to be seen.
The trial continues today and will now consider charges of domestic violence.
The Royal House
The nature and scope of the Hoiby case are such that it would have garnered media attention regardless, as seen previously. However, the scale of coverage is naturally exacerbated by the fact that Marius Borg Hoiby is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Before and during the trial, Hoiby’s lawyers, Ellen Holager Andenas and Petar Sekulic, criticized the press for placing Marius Borg Hoiby in a particularly difficult and demanding situation throughout his life, especially after it became known that he was charged and arrested for domestic violence in August 2024. To this, the primary counter-argument is that it was Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon who originally chose to place him in the position of a stepchild within a royal family.
Neither Crown Princess Mette-Marit nor Crown Prince Haakon have submitted to police interrogation, which they are not legally required to do. Nevertheless, it appears natural from both a moral and parental standpoint that parents cooperate and provide information to the police when a child is charged with a crime. Often, police involvement comes as a relief in cases involving drug abuse by a child. Marius himself, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and Crown Prince Haakon have all acknowledged that Marius had a substance abuse problem. Furthermore, two of the aggrieved women and one relative claim they informed the Crown Prince couple about violent incidents. Matters within the royal family have escalated to a new dimension following the disclosure of Mette-Marit’s relationship with Epstein; read more here.
Samfunn og Politikk sends its thoughts to victims of rape and domestic violence.
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