The Norwegian Royal Family is in a PR catastrophe of royal proportions. Marius Borg Høiby, the scandal-magnet son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, is at the epicenter of another storm. This time, the accusations are so damning they’re threatening to drag the entire monarchy down with him.
Høiby, 27, is now under investigation for three separate alleged crimes against women. He was arrested concerning a case involving a woman in Tønsberg, where Høiby is accused of a sexual act against someone “unable to resist.” This follows his August arrest for allegedly assaulting a woman in her 20s in Oslo’s ultra-posh Frogner district, an incident that left the alleged victim hospitalized with a concussion. If that weren’t enough, he’s also been hit with charges for violating a restraining order and even driving without a license.
For now, these are only allegations. Høiby has been released from custody. The police cited a reduced risk of tampering with evidence. Yes, we are supposed to believe that. The prince gets to waltz out of this mess, while the family is left to deal with the fallout. What is it with people in power and their respect for women? Is it so hard to teach your son some manners? Like, consent? The once-modernized Norwegian monarchy teeters dangerously close to public implosion. If this is the royal family’s idea of a Hallmark holiday special, someone forgot to write in the happy ending.
But wait, there’s more! According to reports, police have found a video linked to one of the alleged crimes on Høiby’s phone. There’s no way that the palace can wave this away as tabloid fodder.
To call this a royal headache would be the understatement of the century. Experts are already branding this fiasco as the monarchy’s greatest crisis since Norway’s independence in 1905. “It’s the other side of the coin when you have a family at the head of the state. Anything that affects the family affects the institution, and vice versa,” said commentator Ole-Jorgen Schulsrud-Hansen about Høiby’s arrest.
And there’s the public, stuck between mild amusement and outright rage. Royalists can cling to their pearls all they want, but people like Andreas Sjalg, a Socialist Riksdag member, are here to say the truth: Høiby’s arrest is a reflection of “the problems inherent in the monarchical regime.” Sjalg put it best: “It’s a kind of lottery. We can only hope that the members of the royal family behave well and that we’ll have good luck with those who are born or marry into it.”
Let’s be honest — Marius Borg Høiby has been the family’s wildcard for years. He’s been racking up controversy like a discount Kardashian. After a 2017 cocaine bust, many assumed he’d simmer down. Instead, he’s been proving that while you can take the prince out of Frogner, you can’t take Frogner’s mess out of the prince.
Can we expect the palace to step in anytime soon? Official statements say that Høiby is a private citizen. But we can’t imagine a private citizen getting to go home after this arrest. It’s like the palace recognizes that he’s family, but they don’t want to babysit. Crown Princess Mette-Marit once referred to her son as “an exceptionally important part of our family.” So, we can assume that Høiby will have some help with his legal troubles. For now, the palace remains silent. But at this rate, it’s not clear whether they can weather the storm or even if the Norwegian people want it to. One thing becomes clear, however, when it comes to royal scandals, Norway is giving the British a serious run for their money.