Featured Image Credit: LISE ASERUD/NTB/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Crime, Royal Family, World News, Domestic Abuse, Australia
Madison Burgess
Topics: Crime, Royal Family, World News, Domestic Abuse, Australia
Warning: This article contains discussion of rape and domestic violence which some readers may find distressing.
Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway has spoken out for the first time regarding her brother's charges.
Her brother's 32 charges include rape, domestic violence, assault and other crimes.
For those who need a reminder of the case, Marius Borg Høiby, 28, is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson to Crown Prince Haakon.
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He was charged with 32 crimes in August, sending shockwaves around the country.
The alleged criminal offences include four rapes of four different women between 2018 and 2024, one count of rape with sexual intercourse and three counts of rape without intercourse, as well as abuse against his former partner, Nora Haukland, and several acts of violence against another former partner.
The four instances of rape Høiby is accused of allegedly took place in 2018, 2023, and 2024, with the last one after the police investigation began.
Other charges include disturbing the peace, vandalism and violation of restraining orders against a former partner.
At the time, it was reported by the BBC that he denies the most serious accusations against him, but plans to plead guilty to some lesser charges when the trial starts, his lawyer Petar Sekulic told Reuters news agency. His trial is reportedly set to begin in January.
As we say, his younger sister, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 21, has issued comments on the charges for the first time in a new interview about her new life in Australia earlier this year for her university studies, after she enrolled in a degree programme at the University of Sydney.
The interview was published in NRK yesterday (2 November) and sees the Princess talk about how she's getting on with her new life Down Under.
She admitted: "I have experienced some paparazzi here, there have been some situations that may seem a little uncomfortable, but fortunately it has calmed down a lot over time."
The royal added that she's 'enjoying it very much so far' but admits that homesickness is beginning to show.
When asked about the situation with her brother Høiby, she said: "Of course it's difficult. Both for those of us who are around, for me as a sister and for mom and dad. And of course for everyone affected by the case."
The interview then pushed more on the matter, asking Princess Ingrid what it's like to be so far away from her family while this is going on.
She began to answer with: "Yes, it is...," before interrupting herself and adding: "I don't know if I want to go into it much more than that."
Reuters reports at the time of Høiby's charges, Crown Prince Haakon (his stepdad), said the family would do their best to carry out duties as normal.
He said: "We will continue to carry out our duties as best we can, as we always do. Everyone involved in this case probably finds it challenging and difficult."
While public prosecutor Sturla Henriksbo told reporters in August: "The maximum penalty for the offences listed in the indictment is imprisonment of up to 10 years.
"These are very serious acts that can leave lasting scars and destroy lives.
"The fact that Marius Borg Hoiby is a member of the royal family should, of course, not mean that he should be treated more lightly or more severely than if similar acts had been committed by others."
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247, available 24/7, or via live chat, available 10am-10pm, Monday to Friday.