How Queen Mette-Marit of Norway's disgraced son Marius Borg Høiby was allowed to attend King Harald's funeral
Queen Mette-Marit of Norway's son, Marius Borg Høiby, was allowed to attend King Harald's funeral today (9 September), despite being on house arrest after being convicted of rape.
Queen Mette-Marit shares Høiby, 29, with Morten Borg, a Norwegian civilian with whom she had a relationship before her marriage to the now King Haakon of Norway.
Earlier this year, Høiby was convicted of two counts of rape, alongside other offences, and was sentenced to four years in prison.
Høiby, who was arrested in August 2024, faced a total of 38 charges after six further allegations were added to the case, including offences relating to drugs, restraining orders and traffic violations.
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Høiby's legal team has appealed both his conviction and his four-year sentence.
As the appeal process continues, he has been allowed to serve his sentence under house arrest with electronic monitoring rather than being in prison.
His sentence is therefore not yet final.
Despite the criminal proceedings, Høiby joined several other senior Norwegian royals at King Harald's funeral today (9 September) as he was spotted in a car on his way to Oslo Cathedral for the ceremony.
He also previously accompanied King Harald's coffin through the Royal Palace in Oslo last Monday (31 August).
According to HELLO!, Høiby received special permission to leave house arrest on this occasion to participate in the solemn procession, which saw the late monarch's coffin moved from the palace to the Palace Chapel.
He was subjected to electronic monitoring, however.
Høiby, who is King Haakon's stepson, does not have a royal title or official duties - nor is he in the line of succession.
He became part of the wider royal family when his mother married then-Crown Prince Haakon in 2001, when he was just four years old.
King Harald's funeral was attended by royalty and leaders from across Europe and beyond.
Among the guests was the Prince of Wales, who is representing his father, King Charles III, who is the second cousin once removed to Harald.
Harald, who died on August 28 aged 89, was Europe’s oldest monarch.
His son immediately became King Haakon VIII and last week pledged an oath of allegiance to Norway’s constitution in parliament.
Among the guests expected to pay tribute to the monarch, who reigned for 35 years, are Crown Prince Akishino of Japan, as well as the monarchs of Sweden, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Jordan. Presidents from a range of European countries were joining them.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was also among those attending the funeral.
Topics: Europe, World News, Royal Family, Crime
Rhiannon Ingle