Woman testifies son of Norway

A second woman testified in an Oslo court on Tuesday, accusing the son of the crown princess of Norway of raping her while she slept, describing it as his “worst nightmare.”

Marius Borg Hoibythe 29-year-old son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a relationship prior to her 2001 marriage to her heir apparent, Crown Prince Haakon, is on trial and faces 38 charges, including raping four women and attacks on ex-girlfriends.

He has pleaded not guilty to the most serious crimes. He faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted.

On Tuesday, a second alleged victim testified about a rape that prosecutors say took place on Oct. 8, 2023, following an afterparty at an apartment in Norway’s Lofoten Islands that Hoiby and his stepfather were visiting on a surfing trip.

After having consensual sex, the alleged victim, a young woman he met on Tinder, said she woke up after Hoiby resumed sexual relations with her that were not consensual.

“That’s always been my worst nightmare,” he told the court, recalling how he closed his eyes “so I wouldn’t have to participate in my own assault.”

“I remember waking up when it was already going on. I was like, ‘I don’t understand how anyone can have sex with someone who’s sleeping,'” she said.

“Then I had above all the feeling that I was dissociating, abandoning my own body,” he adds.

“It was painful. My body wasn’t ready for it.”

In an attempt to prove that the sex occurred when she was in no position to refuse him, the prosecution presented as evidence a video that Hoiby had allegedly filmed of the events on his own phone, which police later found.

Prosecutor Sturla Henriksbo said the five-second video showed the girl asleep at the time.

The alleged victim also spoke out against the footage, which she claims was filmed without her knowledge, for which Hoiby has also been charged.

The prosecution also presented data from her sports watch to show that she was asleep at the time.

“According to the prosecution, the change in heart rate is the most decisive factor,” Henriksbo told the court.

Hoiby, who appeared pale at the start of Tuesday’s court proceedings and with shaking hands, would take the stand later Tuesday.

Last week, the court heard testimony from another young woman who claimed Hoiby raped her at another after-party in the basement of her parents’ real estate outside Oslo in December 2018.

The defense has rejected all accusations of rape, arguing last week that they were “perfectly normal and consensual sexual relations.”

A few days before the trial, Hoiby was arrested on new charges of assault, threats with a knife and violation of a restraining order.

The case has deeply embarrassed the royal family, especially his mother, who suffers from an incurable lung disease and who is torn between her role as mother and future queen.

Crown Prince Haakon issued a statement in late January saying that neither he nor Mette-Marit would attend the trial.

Hoiby was raised by the royal couple alongside his half-siblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus. Unlike them, it has no official public role.

In his statement, Haakon alluded to Hoiby’s “autonomous” status.

“Marius Borg Hoiby is not a member of the Royal House of Norway and is therefore autonomous. We care about him and he is an important member of our family. He is a citizen of Norway and as such has the same responsibilities as everyone else, as well as the same rights,” Haakon said.