The Stepson of Norway's Future King Is Charged with Rape — with 'Double-Digit' Alleged Victims

The stepson of Norway’s future king has been charged with rape, sexual offensive behavior and bodily harm, Oslo police said Friday, June 27.

The charges against Marius Borg Høiby, the 28-year-old son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, were announced after police conducted a months-long investigation following his arrest in the summer of 2024 on charges that included bodily harm, the New York Times reported.

Oslo police said the evidence in the case was gathered via text messages, interviews and multiple searches, according to CBS News.

Høiby, who was questioned several times in the fall of 2024 and spring of 2025, has been cooperating with investigators, police said, CBS News reported.

His lawyer, Petar Sekulic, in an email to the Times, said Høiby was “taking the accusations very seriously, but doesn’t acknowledge any wrongdoing in most of the cases — especially the cases regarding sexual abuse and violence.”

He added that he hopes Høiby will be acquitted if he is indicted, per the Times.

The charges against Høiby include one count of rape with intercourse, two counts of rape without intercourse, four counts of sexually offensive behavior and bodily harm, police said.

At a press conference on Friday, Oslo police attorney Andreas Kruszewski said the investigation involved a “double-digit number” of victims, per the Guardian and CBS News.

According to the Times, Høiby’s mother married the future heir to the throne in 2001.

Høiby is not in the line of succession to the Norwegian throne and he doesn’t have a public role. In 2017, it was announced that he would lead a private life.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

At the time, his mother said of the decision, “Marius has always had a role that has been difficult to define in the public sphere. He is and will be an exceptionally important part of our family.”

“Marius became a symbol of the unusual choice we made when we got married, at the same time, he will not carry public duties like his siblings,” she said.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.