Marius Borg Høiby Remains Under House Arrest at Skaugum as Court Extends Detention
An Oslo court has extended Marius Borg Høiby's house arrest for at least four more weeks, keeping him confined at Skaugum, the Norwegian royal estate where he grew up, through September 7.
The Oslo District Court ruled in favor of police on August 10, granting their request to keep Høiby in custody while his appeal of a four-year prison sentence works through the system. He is 29 years old and the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway from a relationship before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon.
Earlier this summer, the same court found Høiby guilty of two counts of rape, assaulting a former girlfriend, and several other offenses, sentencing him to four years in prison. His legal team filed an appeal, and under Norwegian law the sentence is not legally binding while that appeal is pending. He had been released from prison to house arrest while the appeal proceeds.
Oslo police argued for the extension, telling the court that the risk of reoffending had not been sufficiently reduced to justify releasing him. The court agreed. A restraining order protecting one of his former girlfriends also remains in place.
Under the ruling, Høiby may leave the house only for work, school, treatment, or visits with his own family. His residence at Skaugum — the official country estate of the Norwegian crown prince and princess, located outside Oslo — means he is serving house arrest on royal property. The estate is the Crown Prince and Princess's private home and is not a state-owned residence.
The case has drawn attention across Scandinavia because of Høiby's connection to the Norwegian royal family, though he holds no royal title and no official role. Crown Princess Mette-Marit has spoken publicly about her son's struggles, and the Norwegian royal household has acknowledged the situation without commenting on the legal proceedings in detail.
In July, Norway's prosecution authority dropped its own appeal of the detention ruling, clearing the way for Høiby to remain under house arrest at Skaugum rather than returning to a prison facility. That decision stands.
The four-week extension runs through September 7, after which the court would need to revisit the terms of his custody if the appeal has not yet been resolved.
