The oldest son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been arrested on suspicion of rape. Marius Borg Høiby, the royal’s 27-year-old son from a relationship before her 2001 marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, was arrested late Monday on a preliminary charge of having “sexual intercourse with someone who is unconscious or for other reasons is unable to resist the act,” the Oslo Police District announced early Tuesday.
Police provided few other details, but said, “what police can say about the rape is that it concerns a sexual act without intercourse. The victim is said to have been unable to resist the act.” Hege Salomon, the lawyer for the alleged victim, who is said to be in her 20s, told CNN that she was not in a relationship with Høiby and did not know him before they met on the day of the alleged incident.
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Høiby was also charged with one count of “abuse in close relationships,” violating a restraining order, and driving without a valid driver’s license. Police said that they “searched and seized Marius Borg Høiby’s residence in Skaugum at the same time as the arrest.” He was being held in detention in Greenland as of Tuesday. Police have not yet decided if he will be remanded in custody.
The Monday arrest marks the latest in a string of legal troubles for the young royal, who according to NRK is being investigated over various offences against five different people. The arrest comes just months after Høiby was arrested on an assault charge following an incident with a woman at an Oslo apartment. Norwegian outlet Se og Hør reported, per PEOPLE, that Høiby allegedly “attacked her psychologically and physically.” He was arrested and held for 30 hours before being released. Høiby was again taken into police custody just a month later for violating a restraining order.
In their Tuesday statement, police said Høiby was in a car with the alleged victim of the August incident when he was arrested Monday. They said “the charge relates to another violation of a restraining order against the same victim. In addition, a report has been filed for violation of a restraining order and driving without a valid driver’s license.”
“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. For the other circumstances, he does not admit criminal guilt,” Høiby’s defense attorney Øyvind Bratlien told NBC News in an emailed statement.
Høiby is Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s eldest son from a previous relationship. He was just 4 when his mother married Prince Haakon in 2001. He lives with the royal couple and their two children, his half-siblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus. Høiby is not in the Norwegian line of succession and does not hold any titles or have a public role in the Royal House of Norway.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
