Marius Borg, the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, born from a relationship prior to her marriage to the heir apparent Haakon, has been sentenced to four years in prison. The verdict announced at a court in Oslo finds him guilty of two counts of rape and one count of assault against a former partner whom he threatened. The sentence, comprising 128 pages and subject to appeal, exonerates him of the other two rapes he was accused of.
The 29-year-old had pleaded not guilty to the most serious charges against him, including rape, though he admitted some of lesser severity. The prosecution had sought a sentence of seven years and seven months in prison. He has also been ordered to pay compensation to his ex-girlfriend Nora Haukland, the only victim whose identity has been made public, and to three other women.
The investigation began in 2024, when Marius Borg was named as a suspect of assault against a woman with whom he had been in a relationship. The son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit was detained by the police and subsequently released, but the case expanded as more women came forward with accusations against him.
The indictment filed by the prosecution last year focused on as many as forty offenses. Among them, four alleged rapes occurring between 2018 and November 2024; alleged acts of violence and threats against a former partner between the summer of 2022 and autumn 2023; and two alleged acts of violence against a subsequent partner, in addition to violations of a restraining order.
Marius Borg and a highly publicized trial
The seven-week trial has shocked the Scandinavian country. Throughout the trial, details of Marius Borg’s drug addiction were revealed, videos he recorded of sexual encounters were shown, as well as more than 800 text messages presented as evidence. According to testimony in court, one of the alleged rapes took place in the basement of the family residence of the Crown Prince and Princess.
Marius Borg, alongside Mette-Marit and Haakon of Norway.
During the trial and in tears, Marius Borg tried to justify his actions by citing his “extreme need for self-affirmation.” That extreme led to “a lot of sex, a lot of drugs, and a lot of alcohol.” Very nervous on the stand and clutching a rosary, the young man defended his mother at all times, insisting that King Harald’s daughter-in-law was “paying for other people’s mistakes.” He also took the opportunity to attack the press, saying that “the group sitting behind me manages to turn everything into something it is not.”
Interest in the case has been driven by the contrast between the, until now, idyllic image of the Norwegian royal family and the alleged actions of Marius Borg, as presented in court. The trial, along with other crises, has contributed to a notable decline in the monarchy’s popularity in Norway. A recent poll placed support for maintaining this form of government at a historic low of 60% among Norwegians.
Mette-Marit and the health alarm
Last week, the Oslo District Court agreed to release Marius Borg, who had been detained since shortly before his trial began on February 3. The decision was based on his request to spend more time with his mother, who is awaiting a lung transplant. However, the Court of Appeal reversed the decision.
The wife of the heir apparent Haakon suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, a disease that increasingly makes breathing difficult. Without a transplant, she has about one year to live, according to her medical team. Concern for her health has coincided with Mette-Marit’s apologies for her ‘lack of judgment’ in maintaining close contact with the late American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after his 2008 conviction.
