Crown and Controversy - Norway

Marius Borg Høiby returned to the witness stand on Friday in Oslo District Court as the trial continued to focus on sharply different accounts of the same night. Both sides agree there was consensual sex earlier in the evening, but prosecutors allege that further sexual activity and filming took place after the woman had fallen asleep. Five videos recovered from his phone have become central to th...

Princess Ingrid Alexandra Instagram post to 800 followers: "I'm going crazy. When is enough?" Expert: "Family undoubtedly under pressure, but lot of it self-inflicted by her mother and half-brother." Crown Princess Mette-Marit apologizes to "especially the King and Queen"—"some content of messages does not represent person I want to be." Crown Prince Haakon: "I have to make sure to take care of th...

Marius Borg Høiby returned to the witness stand in Oslo District Court and shifted a key detail of his account, now saying he had sex twice — not once — with a woman who alleges she was later assaulted and filmed while asleep. Høiby denied noticing that she fell asleep and insisted he believed she would have objected to being recorded. Five hidden videos, drug use at the party and his admission th...

Another intense day unfolded in Oslo District Court as the trial of Marius Borg Høiby continued, with witness testimony detailing tensions at the Lofoten after-party where prosecutors allege the most serious rape charge occurred. Guests described a shift in Høiby’s demeanor as the night progressed, with claims he became dominant, pushed alcohol, and created an uncomfortable atmosphere. A defense w...

Marius Borg Høiby faced intense questioning in Oslo as prosecutors pressed him over late-night texts, a five-second intimate video, and smartwatch data they say shows the complainant was in deep sleep during the alleged assault. Høiby insists the sex was consensual, calling key moments “situational” and dismissing crude messages as “locker-room talk,” while witnesses described him as heavily intox...

A woman from Lofoten gives closed-door testimony in Oslo District Court, alleging she woke to Marius Borg Høiby having sex with her while she was asleep during a trip in October 2023. Prosecutors say smartwatch data and a short video found on Høiby’s phone support claims she was unconscious, while the defence insists the encounter was consensual. Høiby, testifying under medication and visible stra...

Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit make multiple visits to Marius Borg Høiby behind bars as his rape trial grinds on, raising questions about access and optics. At the same time, Princess Ingrid Alexandra retreats abroad after blasting “personal attacks” on Instagram, while Epstein-linked scandals widen with a Norwegian ambassador’s resignation. Norway’s once low-drama monarchy is...

Norway’s royal crisis deepens as Princess Ingrid Alexandra breaks royal protocol with an emotional Instagram post saying she’s “going crazy” amid relentless personal attacks. Her message lands as Crown Princess Mette-Marit issues yet another apology over her Epstein ties, admitting regret and acknowledging that parts of their correspondence do not reflect the person she wants to be. Crown Prince H...

It’s a brutal week for royal men with too much privilege and not enough purpose. As Prince Andrew is quietly shoved out of Windsor under cover of darkness, Norway’s royal family finds itself engulfed in a scandal that makes Britain’s York mess look familiar. Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, is facing four rape charges and dozens of other allegations, triggering a national...

Marius Borg Høiby trial begins—38 charges including 4 rape counts. Pleads not guilty to rape, admits drug offences including 3.5kg marijuana transport, restraining order violations. Arrested again Sunday before trial for new assault/knife threats—begins trial in custody. First victim testifies believes she was drugged at 2018 after-party in Høiby's parents' basement—"completely unconscious, doesn'...

Norway’s royal crisis deepens as Marius Borg Høiby returned to court and denied drugging a woman who says she blacked out before an alleged 2018 assault at the Crown Prince family’s residence. Prosecutors pushed on his knowledge of incapacitating drugs, and Høiby conceded he knows what they are and could probably get them, but insisted he has never used them on anyone. The court also heard about H...

The Marius Borg Høiby trial took a grim turn as the first woman to testify told the Oslo court she felt “betrayal and shock” after police showed her videos they say depict sexual assault while she was incapacitated. She said she has a “big black hole” in her memory after a brief consensual encounter and told judges she believes she may have been drugged, adding she looked “completely unconscious”...

The trial of Marius Borg Høiby has collided head-on with a separate scandal engulfing Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, creating a dual crisis for the monarchy. As Høiby faces multiple rape charges and dozens of other criminal allegations, newly released United States justice department files have revealed extensive past contact between the crown princess and Jeffrey Epstein. Mette-Marit has ad...

The criminal trial of Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, gets underway in Oslo as Norway’s royal family faces an unprecedented convergence of legal and reputational pressure. Høiby, 29, is due before the Oslo District Court on a sweeping charge sheet that includes 38 alleged offences, among them four counts of rape, along with allegations o...

Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett finally marry in the picturesque village of Geiranger, but their fairy tale ending comes at an enormous cost. Shutting out Norwegian media for exclusive international deals, the couple celebrates as protesters gather in the rain and King Harald walks through puddles to attend his daughter's controversial wedding. Their love story concludes with vows that ac...

The COVID medallion scandal pushes the Norwegian royal family to their breaking point. As  health organizations condemn royal-connected medical misinformation and Norwegian politicians demand action, Crown Prince Haakon makes an unprecedented public statement about potentially stripping his sister of her title. Behind palace doors, emergency meetings and ultimatums force Princess Märtha Louise to...

The full contents of Durek's book "Spirit Hacking" hit Norwegian media like a bomb, revealing shocking claims about cancer, women's sexuality, and medical treatment. As scientists debunk his expensive healing medallions and international media dubs her "The Princess of Pseudoscience," Märtha Louise faces an impossible choice. But the worst is yet to come—a global pandemic will test Durek's dangero...

May 2019: Princess Märtha Louise goes public with her shocking romance via Instagram, and Norwegian media explodes. The couple launches "The Princess and the Shaman" tour across Norway, selling expensive tickets to hear their spiritual message. But when leaked excerpts from Durek's book surface, revealing claims that children choose cancer, the fairy tale becomes a national nightmare of protests,...

In 2018, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway meets Hollywood's most controversial spiritual healer through mutual friends. What starts as a six-month friendship becomes a secret romance that will rock the Norwegian monarchy. From Durek Verrett's celebrity clients to his claims of being part-reptilian, this is the story of how an angel-talking princess fell for a shaman who promised to change her worl...

Coming September 13th. When Princess Märtha Louise of Norway announced her relationship with Hollywood shaman Durek Verrett in 2019, their fairy tale romance became the most explosive royal scandal in Norwegian history. This is the story of how dangerous medical misinformation and COVID cure medallions brought a thousand-year monarchy to its knees. Märtha Louise faced an impossible choice: the man...