Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, has been arrested for the second time in just over a month, Norwegian media report.
The stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, often referred to as the ‘black sheep’ of the Norwegian royal family, was arrested on Friday evening after violating a restraining order.
The restraining order in question was intended to protect Rebecca Helberg Arntsen, who Høiby admitted to assaulting during a drink- and drug-fueled attack on August 4 that first saw him arrested and held overnight in a police cell. The order was not issued immediately after the attack, but after Høiby allegedly contacted the victim several times following the attack.
According to the Norwegian gossip magazine Se Og Hor, 27-year-old Høiby allegedly contacted his victim, whom he previously called his “girlfriend,” via a hidden telephone number on Saturday, September 7.
Marius Borg Høiby, 27, was arrested again over the weekend on suspicion of violating a restraining order, Norwegian media reported
However, in a statement through his lawyer, Høiby has strongly denied the claim. Defence lawyer Øyvind Bratlien criticised the arrest as being made on the basis of ‘flimsy’ evidence and accused the police of ‘reverse discrimination’.
Meanwhile, charges against Høiby have been expanded to include three more victims after more women came forward following his arrest.
One of the other victims has not been named. However, two have been named: Høiby’s exes Juliane Snekkestad and Nora Haukland.
The Norwegian royal family was shocked by Høiby’s first arrest in early August, after Rebecca Helberg Arntsen was hospitalized with injuries from the attack.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship admitted last month to attacking his ‘girlfriend’ in a drug and alcohol-fuelled rage
Høiby, a former car mechanic, has previously been called the ‘black sheep’ of the Norwegian royal family
A week after his arrest, Høiby sensationally confessed to assaulting Rebecca, calling her his “girlfriend” (her lawyers have denied this claim).
In a statement released through his own attorney, Høiby said he suffers from “multiple mental disorders” and has “long struggled with substance abuse,” for which he said he is resuming treatment.
The statement read: ‘This past weekend something happened that should never have happened. I caused bodily harm and vandalism in an apartment while drunk and on cocaine after an argument.
‘I have multiple mental health disorders, which means I have had and continue to have challenges throughout my childhood and adult life. I have struggled with substance abuse for a long time, something I have sought treatment for in the past.
“Drug use and my diagnoses are no excuse for what happened last Sunday night in the apartment in Frogner. I want to take responsibility for what I did and will explain myself honestly 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.”
Mette-Marit’s eldest son also apologized to his family for his actions, which “had a great impact on you.”
The Norwegian tabloid VG has now published what it claims are excerpts from two telephone conversations between the 27-year-old and his victim, following the violent incident and vandalism in an Oslo apartment on the evening of August 4.
During the conversation, former motorcycle mechanic Borg Høiby is said to have defended his attack with ‘a little pat on the back… hitting you with the open hand’.
Marius Borg Høiby (pictured) was disinvited from a celebrity wedding after guests threatened to not attend if he attended
Borg Høiby (pictured with Prince Haakon in 2017) is suspected of causing bodily harm and criminal damage
Borg Høiby (pictured) allegedly ‘threatened to set fire to and burn the girl’s clothes and belongings’ while he was on the phone, Se og Hør reports
But the woman allegedly replied that he had hit her a hundred times and strangled her at least five times until she had difficulty breathing, according to the Norwegian report translated into English.
Borg Høiby is also said to have threatened to burn the victim’s belongings in a garbage bin if she did not collect them from Skaugum Castle, his family’s official residence, by a certain time.
Elsewhere in the phone calls, which are said to have taken place before Borg Høiby was arrested by police at 4:10 p.m., the prince’s stepson is said to have mentioned a third person, saying that they are afraid “because I am going to kill him.”
The person’s name is not mentioned by VG, but the publication does state that he or she is known to both Borg Høiby and his ‘girlfriend’.
According to local reports, the audio recording is part of the police investigation against the 27-year-old, who was arrested and remanded in custody for 30 hours.
He is accused of causing bodily harm and injury to a woman with whom he was in a relationship.
In the first conversation, Borg Høiby allegedly says out loud: “Yes, you must do that. Otherwise I will burn all your things,” after explaining that he wants the woman to collect her things from him.
When the victim asks why he would do this, he replies, “Because you deserve all the shit I can do to you.” According to the publication, he also uses derogatory language towards his girlfriend.
“Your clothes are on fire at 4 p.m. 4 p.m. Everything you own is already out here in space. And I have a big jerry can of gasoline and a lighter in my hand. Do you hear that? You’re here at 4 p.m.,” says Borg Høiby.
“Then I’ll set your things on fire,” he adds, after the woman – who has apparently lived at Skaugum Castle at times over the past year with Borg Høiby and his mother and stepfather – insists she doesn’t want to go to the 27-year-old.
Høiby, son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship, was raised by his mother and stepfather with his half-siblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 20, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 18, but unlike them he has no official public role.
The arrest and his confession cast a shadow over the recent royal wedding in Norway, when Princess Martha Louise married American shaman Durek Verrett in the Geirangerfjord on August 31.
Ahead of the wedding, the Norwegian palace confirmed that Høiby would not attend the wedding with his mother, stepfather and half-siblings. Norwegian media later reported that the former car mechanic had declined an invitation to attend an Italian wedding of the son of a billionaire and an influencer.
However, when news of the attack and arrest broke, Høiby was not invited to the wedding, with guests threatening to pull out if he attended.
Marius arrived in Pisa ahead of the wedding of Karianne Vilde Spetalen, 30, and Kristian Spetalen, also 30.
It is believed that the guests thought that the Norwegian press would travel to Italy to document the wedding if Marius were there. Some felt uncomfortable about this.
Sources told Se og Hør that Norwegian influencer Karianne and Kristian also received criticism from their families over Marius’ planned presence.
The scandal surrounding the arrest of Borg Høiby, the ‘black sheep’ of the Norwegian royal family, has damaged the love for the monarchy among some Norwegians, MailOnline previously revealed.
Traditionally, Norwegians are even more ardent royalists than the British, but we found that young people in particular were less forgiving of Borg Høiby’s behaviour.