Norway's Royal Court Was Warned Before Marius Borg Høiby's Arrest, Review Finds

Norway's Police Affairs Bureau has found that a Police Security Service officer told the Royal Court's head of communications that Marius Borg Høiby had been violent toward an ex-girlfriend. The officer said this before knowing that an arrest decision had been made. The bureau also found the officer did not break the law on confidentiality, and it dropped the case because no criminal offence was considered proven. Town & Country reported the findings on November 5, 2026.

Høiby is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway and the stepson of King Harald. The Royal Court is the household that runs the official work of the royal family, much like a palace office in other countries. The Police Security Service, known as PST, is Norway's domestic intelligence and security agency. The crown princess's bodyguard service is part of PST, and Aftenposten reported that it received advance notice of the planned arrest.

According to the review, the notice to the Royal Court was reportedly based on security considerations. Palace communications manager Guri Ofstad Varpe said police told the Royal Court about an incident involving Høiby and a possible arrest. The Royal Court then informed the crown prince and crown princess. The review also found that Norway's Ministry of Justice and Public Security and the Prime Minister's Office were both told about the pending arrest. It found there had been dialogue between the Justice Ministry and the Royal Court before the arrest.

PST has said earlier that its message to the Palace concerned a violent incident, not the arrest itself.

The arrest came in early February 2026. Associated Press and PBS NewsHour reported that police arrested him on a Sunday evening on accusations of assault and threats with a knife. That was the day before his rape trial was set to begin. On the first day of trial, he pleaded not guilty to rape and domestic violence. He admitted some lesser charges, according to Reuters.

Court rulings have come in the months since. On November 2, 2026, a Norwegian district court ruled that Høiby could be released from custody while he awaits an appeal in the rape case. Two days later, on November 4, a Norwegian appeals court ruled that he must remain under house arrest, Reuters reported.

For readers outside Norway, the main question in this review is about contact between a security service, a royal household and government ministries before a criminal arrest. The review found that those contacts happened. It did not find that the officer broke the law, and the criminal case itself has not been decided on appeal.