Marius Borg Høiby's House Arrest Extended Past King Harald V's Funeral
Norwegian police have extended Marius Borg Høiby's house arrest beyond its original 7 September end date, keeping the 29-year-old under electronic monitoring past the funeral of his step-grandfather, King Harald V. Høiby consented to the extension, declining to contest the ruling. His defence attorney, Petar Sekulic, told the Norwegian publication Nettavisen that Høiby does not agree there is a risk of reoffending but would accept further detention to avoid attention during the days surrounding the late king's death Hello!.
Høiby is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship, and the stepson of the newly acceded King Haakon. Since his release from prison into house arrest, he has been living at Skaugum, the royal residence of the crown princely couple on the outskirts of Oslo Hello!.
In June, Høiby was found guilty of two counts of rape among other offences and sentenced to four years in prison. He has appealed the most serious parts of his conviction, meaning the verdict is not yet legally binding. After a period in prison, he was released into house arrest with an electronic ankle tag in July. Norwegian prosecutors have repeatedly stated they fear he may reoffend, a claim his defence team has strenuously denied Hello!.
As King Harald's health deteriorated in late August, police granted Høiby supervised leave — known in Norwegian as utgang, a permission to leave the place of custody for a specified period — on several occasions. He visited his step-grandfather at the National Hospital on 27 August and travelled to Bygdøy Royal Palace on 28 August, the day after the king's death. On 31 August, Høiby joined other members of the royal family in carrying King Harald's bier at a ceremony Hello!.
Oslo police confirmed to the Norwegian outlets Aftenposten and TV 2 that Høiby would be allowed to attend the funeral itself NRK. The Town & Country magazine, citing Norwegian reporting, separately confirmed the Oslo police granted the funeral permission Town & Country.
His participation in the bier-carrying ceremony has not passed without comment abroad. A Danish commentator argued that the royal house was indifferent to the victims in Høiby's criminal case, sparking debate outside Norway NRK.
What gives the extension its particular weight is the intersection of two timelines that Norwegian authorities have had to manage simultaneously. A conviction that is appealed and therefore not legally binding sits alongside a royal funeral that follows a constitutional script allowing no delay. The police decision to extend the house arrest — rather than end it on schedule or remand Høiby back to prison — threads that needle. It keeps him in custody, honours the permission already granted for the funeral, and leaves the appeal to run its course.
The appeal will determine whether the four-year sentence stands. Until it does, Høiby remains at Skaugum, tagged, and now under house arrest past the date it was first set to end.
