Marius Borg Høiby News & Current Events Part 2: February 2026 -

[Granada]

Haakon should have eliminated the word *support* in his Statement regarding the Debacle the Family is mired in. In light of the seriousness of the Criminal Charges Marius is facing. In my opinion, anyways.

 

[victor1319]

it's perfectly normal that Haakon visited Marius in prison

Well, it is understandable, but "perfectly normal" would be rather that the Bonus-Prince is not in jail.

 

[polyesco]

Mette-Marit was also with Haakon visiting Marius last night

Mamma besøkte Marius i fengsel

Kronprinsessen og kronprinsen gir Marius støtte i en vanskelig tid. Les om det historiske besøket i fengselet.

www.seher.no

"Mom visited Marius in prison
On Thursday evening, Se og Hør revealed that Crown Prince Haakon visited Marius in Oslo prison. Now it turns out that his mother Mette-Marit was also there.
At 8:34 p.m. Thursday evening, a dark BMW with a ski box drove out of Oslo prison. The crown prince and his wife are in the back seat."

 

[Princess_Eleanor]

I would expect the same thing if Marius was his biological child. It must be difficult to realize that your child is a criminal. The issue is that Haakon does not seem to want to realize it, and so, along with Mette-Marit (and Ingrid, who is probably influenced by her parents' viewpoint) just denies reality. They do not believe Marius is a criminal, simply because they don't want it to be so (or in Mette-Marit's case maybe also because she doesn't mind criminals).

Haakon takes care of Marius, because to him Marius is a victim. But Marius is not the victim. I think they are creating their own version of reality and it has clashed and will continue to clash with actual reality.

 

[Moran]

In my opinion, the Crown Prince should not, and shouldn't be expected to, behave differently than would be appropriate for him to behave if, hypothetically, Prince Sverre Magnus were the one charged with raping and assaulting numerous women.

I agree, with a slight twist. Haakon should not, and shouldn't be expected to, behave differently.

The Crown Prince should have supported him without making a show out of it with his words. Combined with his former refusal to show care for Marius' victims, he shows a tendency to place the sex offender first and foremost - before victims, before justice. What is he going to do if the court find his precious child guilty? Cry, "corrupted court! twarthed justice!" like any ordinary parent would? How nice for the heir of the throne in a time where monarchs should be seen as representation of people and state - including justice!

The future head of the state of Norway should not push his devotion to the one who is currently being tried down the Norwegians' throats. It leads to questions. I, for one, have no doubt that they'd do anything legal and illegal to twist the trial in their baby boy's favour, feeling that they were doing the right thing...

 

[Erin9]

I think Prince Haakon considers Marius as if he were his own son. And Haakon also helped raise Marius.
Despite this, it's perfectly normal that Haakon visited Marius in prison.
And it's normal that Haakon cares about Marius and is supporting him during this difficult time.

Haakon is probably doing for Marius the same thing he would do for any of his biological children.

Agreed. My question is- would people prefer that Haakon act like Marius isn’t essentially his child? He raised him, for better or worse. Pretend he doesn’t exist? Don’t visit him? Don’t mention him- despite the very public trial? Is he supposed to adopt the attitude that he’s washed his hands of him?

Does that make him look like a good parent? Is that what people want in their future head of state?

These are just questions I have.

I would expect the same thing if Marius was his biological child. It must be difficult to realize that your child is a criminal. The issue is that Haakon does not seem to want to realize it, and so, along with Mette-Marit (and Ingrid, who is probably influenced by her parents' viewpoint) just denies reality. They do not believe Marius is a criminal, simply because they don't want it to be so (or in Mette-Marit's case maybe also because she doesn't mind criminals).

Haakon takes care of Marius, because to him Marius is a victim. But Marius is not the victim. I think they are creating their own version of reality and it has clashed and will continue to clash with actual reality.

I don’t recall him actually saying he thinks Marius has been wrongly accused. Though he may think so. It wouldn’t be shocking, honestly. Or maybe he thinks he’s guilty of somethings and not others.

 

[polyesco]

I would expect the same thing if Marius was his biological child. It must be difficult to realize that your child is a criminal. The issue is that Haakon does not seem to want to realize it, and so, along with Mette-Marit (and Ingrid, who is probably influenced by her parents' viewpoint) just denies reality. They do not believe Marius is a criminal, simply because they don't want it to be so (or in Mette-Marit's case maybe also because she doesn't mind criminals).

Haakon takes care of Marius, because to him Marius is a victim. But Marius is not the victim. I think they are creating their own version of reality and it has clashed and will continue to clash with actual reality.

Agree! It's all the press fault. If they would just leave him alone.
They treat Marius like a little boy when he is in fact a 29 year old man. Do they think a man without a job, education, volunteer work, some sort of direction is normal?
Maybe less surfing trips , and shopping sprees, and skiing trips around the world would have helped?

 

[Muhler]

Agreed. My question is- would people prefer that Haakon act like Marius isn’t essentially his child? He raised him, for better or worse. Pretend he doesn’t exist? Don’t visit him? Don’t mention him- despite the very public trial? Is he supposed to adopt the attitude that he’s washed his hands of him?

Does that make him look like a good parent? Is that what people want in their future head of state?

These are just questions I have.

I don't think many expects Haakon to cut off Marius - yet. That would be inhuman and as pointed out not what people would prefer to see in a role-model, which is essentially what Haakon is supposed to be.
There can of course come a time, where even the most patient parent will cut off their child. - Like Marius continuing his bad behavior after being released.
I don't think Marius can expect more chances. Because while the NRF may be willing to give him more chances I can't see the Norwegian public accepting that. Then Haakon and/or Ingrid may come in the situation where they will be forced to choose between their position or Marius.
But that is hopefully years from now.

However, Haakon may be forgiven for focusing on his son, Marius and his family, given the circumstances. But once Marius is sentenced he'd better come up with a convincing statement expressing sympathy for the victims.
Because Haakon is not only Marius dad, he is also the future king of the victims.

 

[Granada]

Spea

Agreed. My question is- would people prefer that Haakon act like Marius isn’t essentially his child? He raised him, for better or worse. Pretend he doesn’t exist? Don’t visit him? Don’t mention him- despite the very public trial? Is he supposed to adopt the attitude that he’s washed his hands of him?

Does that make him look like a good parent? Is that what people want in their future head of state?

These are just questions I have.

Agreed. My question is- would people prefer that Haakon act like Marius isn’t essentially his child? He raised him, for better or worse. Pretend he doesn’t exist? Don’t visit him? Don’t mention him- despite the very public trial? Is he supposed to adopt the attitude that he’s washed his hands of him?

Does that make him look like a good parent? Is that what people want in their future head of state?

These are just questions I have.

Agreed. My question is- would people prefer that Haakon act like Marius isn’t essentially his child? He raised him, for better or worse. Pretend he doesn’t exist? Don’t visit him? Don’t mention him- despite the very public trial? Is he supposed to adopt the attitude that he’s washed his hands of him?

Does that make him look like a good parent? Is that what people want in their future head of state?

These are just questions I have.

Erin, I will give you my thoughts on this....for what it's worth. I believe Haakon has not shown "balance" in regards to this deplorable situation the Family - Crown find themselves in.
Marius is being accused of being a violent rapist, threatens Victims with knives, destroys personal property, violating Restraining Orders and trafficking in Drugs. On top of having Substance Abuse issues himself. Marius IS a very troubled and dangerous Man. I think the future King is bending over backwards to *support* as Haakon says Marius.
I think, (again my opinion) he is overdoing this for someone simply not worthy. What about the Victims and THEIR Family's hurt and suffering ? Or ANYONE who has endured a violent rape, attack or threats of retribution from a Predator ?

 

[Mbruno]

Agreed. My question is- would people prefer that Haakon act like Marius isn’t essentially his child? He raised him, for better or worse. Pretend he doesn’t exist? Don’t visit him? Don’t mention him- despite the very public trial? Is he supposed to adopt the attitude that he’s washed his hands of him?

Does that make him look like a good parent? Is that what people want in their future head of state?

These are just questions I have.

I don't think there is a general answer as different people would respond differently to the question. I do think, however, that there are certain clues we may get from the national culture in different countries.

If a scandal like that happened for example in the United Kingdom, I would say that, yes, most people would probably expect Marius to be cut off (and, in fact, the government itself would probably demand it from the King). Moreover, if the King, or the heir apparent, were not willing to cut Marius off under those circumstances, they would probably be seen as unfit to serve as Head of State.

 

[Maryrose]

Personally I think they will comment after the verdict is in. In any criminal case family members of the defendant really don't make comments about the victims especially if they are standing behind the accused. Whether its moral or not is another thing. As a parent IMO you don't ever think your child is unworthy. Two things can be true at the same time. You can feel awful for the pain your child has caused others and you can still love your child.

 

[Erin9]

Spea





Erin, I will give you my thoughts on this....for what it's worth. I believe Haakon has not shown "balance" in regards to this deplorable situation the Family - Crown find themselves in.
Marius is being accused of being a violent rapist, threatens Victims with knives, destroys personal property, violating Restraining Orders and trafficking in Drugs. On top of having Substance Abuse issues himself. Marius IS a very troubled and dangerous Man. I think the future King is bending over backwards to *support* as Haakon says Marius.
I think, (again my opinion) he is overdoing this for someone simply not worthy. What about the Victims and THEIR Family's hurt and suffering ? Or ANYONE who has endured a violent rape, attack or threats of retribution from a Predator ?

Thanks. I appreciate your thoughts.

FWIW- I believe Haakon has stated his concern for everyone involved. I personally don’t think it would be appropriate for him to say much of anything until this case is concluded. Especially given that he is a future head of state.

I don't think there is a general answer as different people would respond differently to the question. I do think, however, that there are certain clues we may get from the national culture in different countries.

If a scandal like that happened for example in the United Kingdom, I would say that, yes, most people would probably expect Marius to be cut off (and, in fact, the government itself would probably demand it from the King). Moreover, if the King, or the heir apparent, were not willing to cut Marius off under those circumstances, they would probably be seen as unfit to serve as Head of State.

Thanks. I’m just curious about people’s thoughts.

I do agree that different countries would certainly have different expectations.

I think there’s a difference between being professionally cut off (which to the limited extent Marius was ever “royal” he has been- ie loss of diplomatic passport) and complete personal cut off.

But, yes, the expectation could be to totally cut ties, even before the court case has concluded. (Though- I will say- regardless of how this ends- Marius comes across as a dangerous, very troubled person to me.)

 

[tommy100]

I think part of the reason people find it odd that Haakon visited is because the Royal House has a made a point of distancing Haakon and the family from Marius "officially". We were told no one from the family would be in the court and that MM was taking a trip away to coincide with the court case.
Of course in private it is not as simple hence we see Marius stepfather (who for many years was Haakon's only "child") visit his son (for I have no doubt that is how Haakon sees Marius) in prison in a private capacity.
The problem is when "private" is public for all to see it contradicts the public message about the Crown Prince, even though what we are seeing is the Crown Prince as a father not as heir to the throne.
The (mixed) messages coming so close together doesn't help either.

 

[kalnel]

Erin, I will give you my thoughts on this....for what it's worth. I believe Haakon has not shown "balance" in regards to this deplorable situation the Family - Crown find themselves in.
Marius is being accused of being a violent rapist, threatens Victims with knives, destroys personal property, violating Restraining Orders and trafficking in Drugs. On top of having Substance Abuse issues himself. Marius IS a very troubled and dangerous Man. I think the future King is bending over backwards to *support* as Haakon says Marius.
I think, (again my opinion) he is overdoing this for someone simply not worthy. What about the Victims and THEIR Family's hurt and suffering ? Or ANYONE who has endured a violent rape, attack or threats of retribution from a Predator ?

I think Haakon would be on shaky ground if he referred to “the victims.” Calling someone a “victim” confirms the idea that a crime has occurred. If Haakon used that language before the court reaches a verdict, it could be prejudicial.

That does not mean he lacks concern or empathy. It means he has to be careful about his language while the legal process is ongoing.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

If a scandal like that happened for example in the United Kingdom, I would say that, yes, most people would probably expect Marius to be cut off (and, in fact, the government itself would probably demand it from the King). Moreover, if the King, or the heir apparent, were not willing to cut Marius off under those circumstances, they would probably be seen as unfit to serve as Head of State.

Do you think that would be still the case if this hypothetical British Marius were the King's legal and biological child?

 

[Muhler]

The fragmented and inconsistent live-reporting from the trial in the press is very frustrating!
Today I tried to follow the trial. The BT.dk coverage is based on a Norwegian paper and I also looked at other Norwegian papers and it struck me how different they were.
And now I have looked at the summary at BT, and key elements were left out from the live coverage!

Førende søvnekspert vidnede i Høiby-retssagen: 'Jeg kan ikke sige det med sikkerhed'

Fredag fortsatte retssagen mod kronprinsesse Mette-Marits ældste søn, Marius Borg Høiby. Og her skulle et særligt ekspertvidne forklare sig.

www.bt.dk

The sleep expert said, (and I didn't see that in any papers I looked at today,) that he does not believe that the Skaugum woman was drugged.
"I will say that it sounds very unlikely (that she should have been drugged, considering that she was chatting while waiting for a taxi a few minutes after the rape) that she was under the influence of such strong drugs shortly prior to that. Most date.drugs have a long half-life, so then she would have been influenced at that time."

- In other words; the sleep-expert does believe she was asleep while the rape took place but he cannot say with certainty, because that would require physical measurements. (That sentence was also omitted from the live coverage.)

So my recommendation is: Ignore the live coverage. Wait for the summaries in the evening and read at least two summaries.

- Okay, if Marius took advantage of the Skaugum woman being asleep, it is still rape, because she was unable to resist or give her consent to the intercourse.

 

[Mbruno]

Do you think that would be still the case if this hypothetical British Marius were the King's legal and biological child?

If he were the King's legal and biological eldest son, he would hold a constitutional position of heir in his own right, so it would be a matter for the government and the Parliament. Given that the British government in the past compelled Edward VIII to abdicate, I think it would not be out of the question that the heir would be forced to renounce his succession rights, which would be later ratified by legislation. But we are dealing with hypothetical scenarios and going off-topic here.

 

[Moran]

I think Haakon would be on shaky ground if he referred to “the victims.” Calling someone a “victim” confirms the idea that a crime has occurred. If Haakon used that language before the court reaches a verdict, it could be prejudicial.

That does not mean he lacks concern or empathy. It means he has to be careful about his language while the legal process is ongoing.

No one said he needs to call them "victims". There are other words in Norwegian that can convey empathy without implying guilt for Marius. I'm sure he could find one and if it was so hard, the Palace people could help him.

I believe what most commenters here disapprove of is his attempt to present himself and his family as THE victims while pretending he wasn't doing it. Oh, look at us, it's so hard for us but we're bravely holding on! It's a very blatant attempt to sway public to their side and win time for MM to get ready to say, "I didn't know and I'm sorry, and I apologize" each time journalists ask her a hard question.

All of his children are adults. No need to implicitly paint them as helpless and vulnerable five-year-olds needing caring.

And yes, Marius' daddy can bring him sweets in prison, and I hope it isn't the "sweets" dear boy craves. But the future King of all of Norway needs to state his empathy for the victims over and over, even if not calling them so. That's the con of the job. MM's nice clothes and highly paid yoga teacher are pros.

 

[yukari]

Move this from MM's thread:

I'm simply flabbergasted by Haakon.
Supporting Marius comes first?
What or who is advising Haakon , yes he should support his 2 other children and his parents firstly.
MM has made her own bed and has now released a statement Haakon doesn't need to say anymore.
Haakon needs to cut his ties for now with Marius or he'll drag the Monarchy into further hot water with his statements and visits.
Is it just me thinking that he just can't seem to help himself?

For me it sounds as tone-deaf as Andrew's interview where he justified meeting Epstein so he could end their friendship in person. Both might sounds noble in their mind; Andrew thought that ending friendship with a call/email would be callous, while it's for Haakon abandoning his adopted son for a mistake. Both had these justification in their mind (their extending grace to people who once close to them) without a thought of ehat other people would think of it.

 

[Somebody]

Mette-Marit was also with Haakon visiting Marius last night

Mamma besøkte Marius i fengsel

Kronprinsessen og kronprinsen gir Marius støtte i en vanskelig tid. Les om det historiske besøket i fengselet.

www.seher.no

"Mom visited Marius in prison
On Thursday evening, Se og Hør revealed that Crown Prince Haakon visited Marius in Oslo prison. Now it turns out that his mother Mette-Marit was also there.
At 8:34 p.m. Thursday evening, a dark BMW with a ski box drove out of Oslo prison. The crown prince and his wife are in the back seat."

So, she hasn’t left yet. Makes you wonder if she still intends to take a leave of absence somewhere else or came back on their earlier statement and decided to stay home but just not undertake any public engagements.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

In fairness to the Crown Prince Couple, I don't think we can assume being seen visiting their imprisoned son was meant as a public signal. I wouldn't be surprised if there were photographers staking out the prison (and/or Skaugum) 24/7, so it may simply be impossible for them to visit Marius without being photographed.

 

[Somebody]

I understand them visiting him in prison but in their press release last week they tried to distance themselves by stressing that they wouldn’t attend trial and MM would stay elsewhere for at least the next few weeks. However, this week’s actions and Haakon’s recent statement don’t show distancing at all but being very involved, MM still nearby, and almost at Marius’ beck and call.

 

[TRL]

I understand them visiting him in prison but in their press release last week they tried to distance themselves by stressing that they wouldn’t attend trial and MM would stay elsewhere for at least the next few weeks. However, this week’s actions and Haakon’s recent statement don’t show distancing at all but being very involved, MM still nearby, and almost at Marius’ beck and call.

That was before everything that went down on Sunday. Clearly, Sunday's events threw whatever their plans were last week up in the air, and they had to adjust. IMO, whatever went down on Sunday likely included Marius threatening to kill himself. Being suicidal would explain why the CP couple & Ingrid were at a hospital, not a prison Monday. It explains why Mette-Marit canceled whatever travel plans she had, which I suspect were to travel to Australia with Ingrid and spend time with her.

If Marius weren't being detained, Mette-Marit, Haakon, etc. would be able to check-in daily by phone to see how he's doing, and that may have been the original plan. However, that's not an option given that he's in custody.

 

[Somebody]

That was before everything that went down on Sunday. Clearly, Sunday's events threw whatever their plans were last week up in the air, and they had to adjust. IMO, whatever went down on Sunday likely included Marius threatening to kill himself. Being suicidal would explain why the CP couple & Ingrid were at a hospital, not a prison Monday. It explains why Mette-Marit canceled whatever travel plans she had, which I suspect were to travel to Australia with Ingrid and spend time with her.

If Marius weren't being detained, Mette-Marit, Haakon, etc. would be able to check-in daily by phone to see how he's doing, and that may have been the original plan. However, that's not an option given that he's in custody.

Good point. I assumed that it were the developments since last weekend that changed the plans although it might have been helpful if Haakon had mentioned that recent developments resulted in them changing their earlier plans. I was thinking of the Epstein files but indeed his arrest and subsequent imprisonment also changed a lot - and if there was indeed a suicide attempt/thread that moved things to a completely different level.

I had not connected the dots between Mette-Marit leaving for a few weeks and Ingrid-Alexandra returning to Australia but that would have made sense. To me it didn't make sense for her to be on her own in these trying times. And I also understand her staying in Norway now that Marius' situation has changed. They are clearly very concerned about him.

 

[Rosewood]

There is another possibility: Marius went into a berserk rage and attacked the jail personnel. They called his family to calm him down.

 

[Ghost]

While there’s nothing in public knowledge to support my suspicion, I very much believe there were suicide threats.

Also, on the subject on how the press is including or excluding information from the hearings, it gives us just a glimpse on how the press is manipulating public opinion. Which they do ever since the first arrest of Marius. Again, my opinion, which does not mean he DIDN’T abuse that woman in August 2024.

 

[polyesco]

I think after a year and half since his first arrest, reality and consequences are finally hitting.
No more shopping in London, partying in Copenhagen and Monaco, ski trips in lovely cabins around Norway, surfing in Portugal...
That he is having to answer for his actions is finally happening.

 

[LadyFinn]

According to Se og Hør's sources, Marius' father Morten Borg will be present during parts of the serious criminal case. He wanted to avoid the first few days - where there has been a media circus unlike any in a Norwegian courtroom.

Pappa støtter Marius i retten

Pappa Morten Borg velger en annen taktikk enn mamma Mette-Marit når Marius Borg Høiby nå står tiltalt i Oslo Tingrett. Slik er det private forholdet mellom far og sønn.

www.seher.no

 

[Blog Real]

Se og Hør has learned that Marius Borg Høiby fainted in a private courtroom this week. The fainting spell was confirmed by defense attorney Petar Sekulic, who also said that Marius took some time to recover.

Bekrefter: Alvorlig sammenbrudd

Marius Borg Høiby fikk et illebefinnende på et bakrom i tinghuset denne uken. Sammenbruddet bekreftes av forsvarer Petar Sekulic.

www.seher.no

 

[Marengo]

He is under a lot of pressure and it seems he is not able to handle it well. I imagine his usual methods of dealing with such situations are not available to him now. What a sad waste, the way he has ruined himself and dragged so many people down with him.