Marius Borg Høiby News & Current Events Part 1: December 2023 -

[Muhler]

Isn’t there a chance MM spoke to Marius’s lawyer before calling the woman? Maybe she was somehow advised that it’s not quite as thorny a risk as it seems?

There’s such a lot we still don’t know and won’t emerge until a trial, for better or worse.

There have not been that many violent criminal cases involving royals/royal-adjacents any time recently, have there?


Thank you for the clarification, but somehow that makes it so much worse.

Edit: the jet ski thing was apparently Marius himself, although I doubt the video is around anymore.
Post in thread 'Ingrid Alexandra's 18th birthday: 21 January, 2022 & birthday celebrations'
Ingrid Alexandra's 18th birthday: 21 January, 2022 & birthday celebrations

Nepal 2001.

 

[Prinsara]

Nepal 2001.

Among the differences, no one faced charges for that.

So this and Nepal and that’s it?

 

[Tatiana Maria]

In a way, that speaks well of Norwegian democracy and monarchy. It is not that Norwegian royals are uniquely violent, but that in many/most other monarchies around the world, a member of a royal family assaulting a commoner would be more likely to result in the incident being hushed up in one way or another than in criminal charges being brought.

 

[Prinsara]

Perhaps Marius will plead guilty not only to cut a better deal but to avoid having both his entire life dragged out in court and those of the rest of his family members?

I am not a Norwegian judge but other than prison, it seems like some kind of extensive community service might be a good idea. And some serious therapy either way…

 

[Mbruno]

In a way, that speaks well of Norwegian democracy and monarchy. It is not that Norwegian royals are uniquely violent, but that in many/most other monarchies around the world, a member of a royal family assaulting a commoner would be more likely to result in the incident being hushed up in one way or another than in criminal charges being brought.

But again, as other posters have mentioned, there hasn't been a public case in recent years of a male member of another European royal family punching and suffocating his girfriend, sticking a knife (?) into the wall, smashing a chandelier, or threatening to burn his girlfriend's clothes. I can't say for sure if a similar scenario never happened in another royal family, but if it did happen, the victim remained silent and the incident never became public.

Since it is a hypothetical scenario, it is impossible to tell how the police would react if a similar situation happened in other countries, but I would be surprised if a stepson of the future King could get away with no criminal charges in the same circumstances in any other European monarchy.

Also, I don't think other countries have anything similar to absolute immunity for royal princes and princesses as in Article 37 of the Norwegian constitution. Absolute immunity usually applies only to the monarch.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

However, there hasn't been a public case in recent years of a male member of another European royal family punching and suffocating his girfriend, sticking a knife (?) into the wall, smashing a chandelier, or threatening to burn his girlfriend's clothes. I can't say for sure if a similar scenario never happened in another royal family, but if it did happen, the victim remained silent and the incident never became public.

Since it is a hypothetical scenario, it is impossible to telll how the police would react if a similar situation happened in other countries, but I would be surprised if a stepson of the future King could get away with no criminal charges in the same circumstances in any other European monarchy.

My understanding from what was posted here was that the police took action even before the incident became public, and without the victim requesting that charges be pressed. The incident becoming public was the consequence of a leaker or leakers (probably the victim or her friend or lawyer, or a police or judicial official) choosing to brief the press and the press's willingness to publish the story based on the information from this anonymous source). All of the above - the police acting on their own initiative to press charges against a member of the royal family, the leaker feeling safe enough to brief against said royal family member with details of his alleged violent crimes, and the press feeling secure enough to publish news that the royal family would want to remain unpublished with only an anonymous source to rely on - requires an exceptionally democratic and egalitarian society. Would every European monarchy qualify? I hope so, but I am not so sure.

 

[ladongas]

Not knowing Norwegian laws, I can only say that a first offender would probably not receive an extremely harsh sentence in the US. Undoubtedly a fine, a no-contact order, and a regular meeting with a probation officer would be the likely sentence in a US court. And we have a very high incarceration rate here, I think.

 

[Mbruno]

My understanding from what was posted here was that the police took action even before the incident became public, and without the victim requesting that charges be pressed. The incident becoming public was the consequence of a leaker or leakers (probably the victim or her friend or lawyer, or a police or judicial official) choosing to brief the press and the press's willingness to publish the story based on the information from this anonymous source). All of the above - the police acting on their own initiative to press charges against a member of the royal family, the leaker feeling safe enough to brief against said royal family member with details of his alleged violent crimes, and the press feeling secure enough to publish news that the royal family would want to remain unpublished with only an anonymous source to rely on - requires an exceptionally democratic and egalitarian society. Would every European monarchy qualify? I hope so, but I am not so sure.

"Becoming public" in my comment meant the incident "being reported to the police", rather than the public at large having knowledge thereof. Maybe the wording was not accurate, but, anyway, that is what I meant.

 

[tommy100]

I think Nettavisen's royal house expert Tove Taalesen sounds pretty dumb to me. Why shouldn't the RF have to face seeing the photos of Marius' knife stuck in the wall where he put it? Tough luck there for the NRF. With "experts" like that no wonder the NRF finds itself in such messes, all stemming from indulged members acting in a bad way.

I'm amazed MM would be so silly as to make contact with the victim after her son was arrested for assaulting her. Anything other than her saying Marius was stupid and the victim has her full support will be seen as bad IMO (even that will be evidence of MM believing her son is guilty). Up to now the Royal Court has been able to get away with referring all matters to Marius' lawyer but now a member of the Royal House is involved they can't refer the fact MM did or did not call the victim to someone else - they will, at some point, have to answer that themselves.

What a mess.

 

[Chimene]

Not knowing Norwegian laws, I can only say that a first offender would probably not receive an extremely harsh sentence in the US. Undoubtedly a fine, a no-contact order, and a regular meeting with a probation officer would be the likely sentence in a US court. And we have a very high incarceration rate here, I think.

I think this may be an instance where they have to make an example out of him and rightly so. As Muhler pointed out, his mother is an advocate of this very issue and he cannot just receive a slap on the wrist. How would that look to other victims, all victims? He most certainly should have to face jail time in accordance with the law.

 

[Curryong]

That would depend surely on what problems-addictions/ anger issues etc Marius may be suffering from (or not.) If he does have serious issues of any kind then the court would surely order that he get treatment as a prison sentence wouldn’t be considered appropriate.

If he doesn’t have any of those and is just simply acting out then, whether his mother is head of any victims organisation or not would be irrelevant , he should simply get a prison sentence.

The crux with all of this is of course that none of us know Marius or anything really about his relationships with others. And so we are really just outsiders commenting on the situation.

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

I think this may be an instance where they have to make an example out of him and rightly so. As Muhler pointed out, his mother is an advocate of this very issue and he cannot just receive a slap on the wrist. How would that look to other victims, all victims? He most certainly should have to face jail time in accordance with the law.

Agreed; especially since he allegedly threatened the victim after the alleged assault and prior to arrest. Worse, there is now an ex who is speaking too

 

[Tatiana Maria]

I think this may be an instance where they have to make an example out of him and rightly so. As Muhler pointed out, his mother is an advocate of this very issue and he cannot just receive a slap on the wrist. [...]

Agreed; [...]

Is it normal for adults convicted of crimes to have their parents' advocacy on issues impact their sentences? If not, then I hope it does not happen in this case either. Perhaps Marius's own position as a member of the royal family should be taken into account by the judge, but his mother's position should not be a factor, in my opinion.

 

[Chimene]

Is it normal for adults convicted of crimes to have their parents' advocacy on issues impact their sentences? If not, then I hope it does not happen in this case either. Perhaps Marius's own position as a member of the royal family should be taken into account by the judge, but his mother's position should not be a factor, in my opinion.

As a matter of practicality, yes, you are correct. His mother’s advocacy may not have any bearing on the facts or decisions in the case, but what I’m saying is, going “easy” on him because it’s his first criminal conduct, will not look good yes due to his family and his mother’s advocacy. Not to mention it will also discourage victims in the same situation from coming forward.

It may not be fair to make an example out of him, but the opposite is also true. He has been afforded more privileges than most in life, and if you’re going to spend your currency on being a criminal, then fairness goes out of the window in my opinion.

I can’t argue the law, but in societal terms, I would say he needs to go to jail to make sure he never inflicts pain and injury up on anyone else ever again. Hopefully, he’ll come out changed for the better as a result.

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

Is it normal for adults convicted of crimes to have their parents' advocacy on issues impact their sentences? If not, then I hope it does not happen in this case either. Perhaps Marius's own position as a member of the royal family should be taken into account by the judge, but his mother's position should not be a factor, in my opinion.

Put this way, if Marius receives a slap-on-the-wrist, what message is it sending having his mother advocate for women who are subjected to domestic violence? The very groups who are pushing for harsher penalties against perpetrators, albeit their first or tenth? The number of women who report their partners abusing them is frighteningly low; can you imagine the optics if the son of the Crown Princess of Norway, who herself is an advocate for these women, simply receives a slap-on-the-hand? Especially after two women have come forward?

Marius wouldn't be the first offspring who made their high-profile parent give up a cause due to their actions

 

[LadyFinn]

TV 2 asked some lawyers, how they see Mette-Marit calling the victim:
Section 157 of the Penal Code (Straffeloven) prohibits, among other things, influencing an offended party.
Knut Ditlev-Simonsen would strongly encourage to be careful about calling. There are slightly different perceptions of what constitutes unlawful behaviour. It can be difficult to maneuver in. The crown princess's role complicates things a little. It is about how the recipient perceives it. He doesn't know who the recipient is, but that also matters. A powerful person calling.
Gunhild Lærum finds it difficult to comment without knowing the call's background. It could be that they know each other. We don't know if it's to show consideration. It doesn't have to have anything to say in a criminal case at all.
(..)

Advokater reagerer på Mette-Marits telefonsamtale

Etter at Marius Borg Høiby (27) ble pågrepet og siktet for vold mot kjæresten sin, har kronprinsessen hatt minst én personlig samtale med henne.

www.tv2.no

TV 2's royal house expert Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen:
This case is not about the monarchy, but an abused woman
Now the Palace confirms that Crown Princess Mette Marit has had a private conversation with the victim in the case against Marius Borg Høiby. As a mother, this is possibly a natural conversation to have. As crown princess, it should have been avoided.
This is also about facade and impression. Does the crown princess, who opens a shelter for abused women, keep a protective hand over her son, who apparently has difficulty controlling his temper?

Denne saken handler ikke om monarkiet, men en voldsutsatt kvinne

Holder kronprinsessen, som åpner krisesenter for voldsutsatte kvinner, en beskyttende hånd over sønnen? spør TV 2s kongehusekspert.

www.tv2.no

Police investigator Henriette Taxt Røstadli to Se og Hør about publishing the photos:
- I was made aware via interviews that these photos have come to light. I haven't seen them. I don't know where you got these from. I think it is unfortunate because we have at least not made these available to the accused. He hasn't been questioned, and thus, for the sake of the investigation, it is not entirely lucky. It is too early to comment on anything now. We are investigating this case widely, with all hypotheses that are. And then we have to see what we find, if there is a need to adjust a charge one way or the other.
Juliane Snekkestad claimed that she has been subjected to physical and psychological violence by Marius.
(..)

Kan iverksette ny etterforskning

Så langt har ikke Juliane Snekkestad blitt avhørt i Marius Borg Høiby-saken. Det kan endre seg.

www.seher.no

TV 2 has sent a lot of questions to the Palace.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Palace answered this to TV 2's questions in an e-mail from communications manager Guri Ofstad Varpe.
"The Royal Court has not advised Marius Borg Høiby in any way in the matter.
This is a police matter, and we must refer to Borg Høiby's lawyer for questions about the case.
The Royal Court assists members of the Royal Family in their work - both officially and privately - with practical assistance and advice."

Slottet avviser

Slottet avviser at de har gitt råd til Marius Borg Høiby i saken der han er siktet for kroppskrenkelse og skadeverk.

www.abcnyheter.no

 

[tommy100]

The Royal Court assists members of the Royal Family in their work - both officially and privately - with practical assistance and advice."

That line won't hold on the question of Mette-Marit's actions though surely.

 

[Annine]

I dont know why theese so called «royal experts» of TV2 and Nettavisen gets so much air in this case(or in other royal stories as well). They have no backround in law it seems, and one worked as a lakey at the palace who I doubt was privy to much information other than food…They seem to get their information from royal boards and Facebook… its different with NRKs royal reporter who has made many exclusive interviews or Trond Noren Isaksen who is a respected historian and author. The others seems to be not much different than posters on royal boards with their speculations and oppinions….most news readers in Norway dont need them to tell us this is not a good case for the royal family….

Like Isaksen writes on his Instagram King Harald should seriously rethink this concept with royal house and royal family. Having ML and her influencer family in the royal family is also a new accident waiting to happen. IMO it should be the Royal house with the working members (and Sverre Magnus IMO) and the rest are just Family for better or worse. He cannot opperate like when he had to deal just with the Ferner and Lorentzen families who understood their role and had so much cash they did not need to trade on their connections, theese are new times… maybe a 87 year old does not quite see it, but Haakon atleast should.

 

[LadyFinn]

Dagbladet has information about Marius' movements on that Sunday night.
According to Dagbladet's information, the incident in the apartment at Frogner must have happened between 01 and 03 on the night in question. Only Høiby and the offended woman are said to have been present.
Dagbladet gets confirmation from several independent sources that Marius went on to an afterparty after he had been in the apartment at Frogner.
Only several hours later, sometime during Sunday morning or early morning, he is said to have gone home to Skaugum.

Dro videre på nachspiel

Etter at han skal ha utsatt kjæresten for vold og rasert leiligheten hennes, skal Marius Borg Høiby ha dratt videre på fest. Et halvt døgn seinere ble han pågrepet.

www.dagbladet.no

I wonder how Marius copes now with being at these big headlines?

 

[Snowangel]

I think Nettavisen's royal house expert Tove Taalesen sounds pretty dumb to me. Why shouldn't the RF have to face seeing the photos of Marius' knife stuck in the wall where he put it? Tough luck there for the NRF. With "experts" like that no wonder the NRF finds itself in such messes, all stemming from indulged members acting in a bad way.

I'm amazed MM would be so silly as to make contact with the victim after her son was arrested for assaulting her. Anything other than her saying Marius was stupid and the victim has her full support will be seen as bad IMO (even that will be evidence of MM believing her son is guilty). Up to now the Royal Court has been able to get away with referring all matters to Marius' lawyer but now a member of the Royal House is involved they can't refer the fact MM did or did not call the victim to someone else - they will, at some point, have to answer that themselves.

What a mess.

I don't think it's silly at all of MM to contact the victim, this just show what a great person she is. I find this case heartbreaking for everyone involved.

 

[maria-olivia]

I feel sorry for Crown prince Haakon , his beloved wife who has already an illness , is now involved with the acts of her Son born before she became Princess.
On August 31 , he has to attend the contoversal Wedding of his Sister with a Shaman and who knows what will happen after this wedding .
May his Father the King have a long life !

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Put this way, if Marius receives a slap-on-the-wrist, what message is it sending having his mother advocate for women who are subjected to domestic violence? The very groups who are pushing for harsher penalties against perpetrators, albeit their first or tenth? [...]

I don't know whether the Crown Princess or the advocacy groups she supports have advocated for harsher sentences for domestic abuse, or whether the normal punishment for first-time offenders would be viewed as a slap on the hand by the Norwegian public (who are presumably accustomed to their country's prison sentences being short by the standards of some other countries).

But as many have said in this thread, Marius Borg Høiby is an adult who is responsible for his own actions. The same is true of his mother. I doubt many here would argue that any past actions of Crown Princess Mette-Marit should shorten her son's sentence, and in the same vein I do not see why any of her past actions should lengthen it, either.

If Marius Borg Høiby himself had advocated for domestic abusers to receive harsher sentences, then I would agree with your reasoning.

Like Isaksen writes on his Instagram King Harald should seriously rethink this concept with royal house and royal family. Having ML and her influencer family in the royal family is also a new accident waiting to happen. IMO it should be the Royal house with the working members (and Sverre Magnus IMO) and the rest are just Family for better or worse. He cannot opperate like when he had to deal just with the Ferner and Lorentzen families who understood their role and had so much cash they did not need to trade on their connections, theese are new times… maybe a 87 year old does not quite see it, but Haakon atleast should.

Will continue the discussion about membership of the royal house and family here: Constitutional and Dynastic Matters in the Norwegian Monarchy

 

[tommy100]

I don't think it's silly at all of MM to contact the victim, this just show what a great person she is. I find this case heartbreaking for everyone involved.

It may well have come from a good place but I can tell you no lawyer, nor indeed any HR manager, would see it as a good idea. If she even suggested something like "we can work this out" it could be taken as putting pressure on the victim of an assault to go easier on her son.
It is perhaps a natural reaction of concern yes. I personally also suspect it was to offer support and check she was okay, so done for the best of reasons with the kindest of hearts, but it was a naïve and yes, IMO, silly thing to do.

 

[Marengo]

It may not have been a good idea, but it is a very humane reaction. I imagine MM herself must be in a state of shock by her sons behavior. Maybe more shocked than anybody else. It is likely she did not know or simply fooled herself into ignoring signals, as many parents do. It is rather natural she would want to check on her daughter-in-law and see how she is doing, and perhaps hear some details on Marius behavior which she did not know before.

It must be a great shock and an enormous worry to the Crown Princess to realise her son is a violent abuser. And at the same time she must struggle with the love for her son, the realisation he is throwing away his life and with what he has done. The victim did have the option of not seeing the Crown Princess, but she accepted to talk to her. Depending on how well they know each other MM may even have been a comfort.

I am not among those who blame the parents in a situation like this. On the contrary, Marius is a 27 y/o man who should and will be forced to take responsibility for his own actions. I wish the Crown Pirncess lots of courage and wisdom to deal with this situation.

 

[LadyFinn]

It may not have been a good idea, but it is a very humane reaction. I imagine MM herself must be shocked by her sons behavior. Maybe more shocked than anybody else. It is rather natural she would want to check on her daughter-in-law and see how she is doing, and perhaps hear some details on Marius behavior which she did not know before. As said, it must be a great shock to the Crown Princess to realise her son is doing this. And at the same time she must struggle with the love for her son, and realising he throwing away his life and has done what he has done. The victim did have the option of not seeing the Crown Princess, but she accepted to talk to her.

I can understand that if Juliane Snekkestad hadn't told Mette-Marit how Marius had treated her. But if Mette-Marit knew what had happened between Marius and Juliane, Marius' behavior shouldn't be such a surprise to her.

 

[Prinsara]

Dagbladet gets confirmation from several independent sources that Marius went on to an afterparty after he had been in the apartment at Frogner.
Only several hours later, sometime during Sunday morning or early morning, he is said to have gone home to Skaugum.

That Marius went to party after allegedly committing violence is chilling. And damning.

 

[LadyFinn]

Marius to NRK, via his defender Øyvind Bratlien - Admits the use of violence in cocaine intoxication

"Something happened that should never have happened. I committed bodily harm and destroyed objects in an apartment in the intoxication of alcohol and cocaine after an argument. I have several mental disorders which mean that throughout my upbringing and adult life, I have had, and still have, challenges. I have struggled with substance abuse for a long time, something I have been in treatment for in the past. I will now resume this treatment and take it very seriously."
"The drug use and my diagnoses do not excuse what happened in the apartment at Frogner on the night of Sunday last weekend. I want to be responsible for what I have done, and will explain myself truthfully to the police".
"For me, the most important thing is to say sorry to my girlfriend. She deserved neither what happened that night, nor the extreme pressure from both the Norwegian and foreign press afterwards. Being pursued by photographers and journalists at a time like this I know has been tough to stand in".
“I also want to apologize to my family. I know that my actions have greatly affected you".
“So to you my love, I'm sorry. This should never have happened and I take full responsibility for my actions".
-Marius Borg Høiby

NRK has asked for an interview, as well as asked to ask own questions, but he has refused.
- The pronunciation is his own words as desired. I have no further comment now, and will not be answering questions now, says Bratlien to NRK.

Marius Borg Høiby til NRK: Innrømmer bruk av vald

Høiby uttaler seg for første gang om valdshendinga førre veke.

www.nrk.no

Mette Yvonne Larsen as the woman's assistance lawyer:
- My client has been waiting for this since I got to know her, for him to admit what he has done and apologize. It has been her desire over time. She has also wanted him to go in for questioning and she hopes he does now.

Marius Borg Høiby innrømmer vold og kokainbruk

I en tekst delt med pressen via sin forsvarer innrømmer Marius Borg Høiby (27) at han har vært voldelig mot kjæresten sin i kokainrus.

www.tv2.no

I don't know what to say...

 

[JR76]

It may not have been a good idea, but it is a very humane reaction. I imagine MM herself must be in a state of shock by her sons behavior. Maybe more shocked than anybody else. It is likely she did not know or simply fooled herself into ignoring signals, as many parents do. It is rather natural she would want to check on her daughter-in-law and see how she is doing, and perhaps hear some details on Marius behavior which she did not know before.

It must be a great shock and an enormous worry to the Crown Princess to realise her son is a violent abuser. And at the same time she must struggle with the love for her son, the realisation he is throwing away his life and with what he has done. The victim did have the option of not seeing the Crown Princess, but she accepted to talk to her. Depending on how well they know each other MM may even have been a comfort.

I am not among those who blame the parents in a situation like this. On the contrary, Marius is a 27 y/o man who should and will be forced to take responsibility for his own actions. I wish the Crown Pirncess lots of courage and wisdom to deal with this situation.

It doesn't matter if the Crown Princess is in a state of shock (wouldn't any parent in her situation be) or that she feels that it might be natural for her to reach out. Although it's not illegal for her to do so unless there is a restraining order this might negatively have affected her son's case and as both his mother and the future Queen of Norway she's in a position of power which might cause the young lady in question to feel that she can't refuse Mette-Marit's attempt to contact her. She is the victim here and it's her feelings that take top priority not those of the mother of the man accused of punching and strangling her.

The wise thing to do here for Mette-Marit would have been to stay away and let the legal system do it's job. This is already a very messy case with people leaking details and photos to the press and the Royal family would be best to stay as far away from this as possible.

 

[tommy100]

Wow, so it is the worst it could be. And he is admitting criminal guilt

Marius Borg Høiby siktet for vold

Marius Borg Høiby, sønn av kronprinsesse Mette Marit, er siktet for kroppskrenkelse og skadeverk etter en voldshendelse på Frogner i Oslo natt til 4. august.

www.nrk.no

Marius Borg Høiby's statement to NRK, in which he admits to having committed violence against his girlfriend while under the influence of cocaine, is an acknowledgment of criminal guilt. His defender Øystein Bratlien tells NRK:
- He has not formally taken a position on criminal guilt as he has not been questioned, but in reality it is an acknowledgment of criminal guilt after the charge, he writes to NRK.

- There is talk of strangulation and blows, says Mette Yvonne Larsen.

She is the legal representative for the woman who has been offended in the Marius Borg Høiby case. She met several media in Arendal on Wednesday afternoon.

According to Larsen, her client was choked and beaten by Høiby on the night of 4 August.

- She is doing well, physically, says Larsen.

She says that what happened this night was a one-off incident, but that she does not want to comment on it further.

 

[Prinsara]

Wow, so it is the worst it could be.

The worst it could be is if we found out someone died.

I don't know what to say...

Since this began we’ve been speculating about the likelihood Marius was using something other than alcohol when this happened, as well as the possibility he struggles with mental health issues and might not be a very well person. Where is the shock?

Of course, he didn’t apologize to Juliane or anyone else he might have harmed with similar behavior that “should never have happened”…