The Norwegian Royal Family has released their annual Christmas photograph – and there is one family member notably absent.
Former mechanic Marius Borg Hoiby, 27, who is often referred to as the ‘black sheep’ of Norway’s Household, wasn’t included in the holiday snap.
Instead, King Harald V of Norway and Queen Sonja were joined by their son Crown Prince Haakon, his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and their 20-year-old daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra.
But Prince Sverre Magnus, 18, and Borg Hoiby, Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship, weren’t included in the festive photograph, where the five beaming royals posed up a storm next to a Christmas tree.
Sverre Magnus now lives in Trondheim, rather than Oslo with the Royal Family, and wasn’t there when the picture was taken, Head of Communications at the Palace, Guri Varpe, revealed to Dagbladet.
But while he has always featured in the Christmas photo shoot, Borg Hoiby is rarely included in official family snaps. He was raised by the royal couple alongside his siblings. However, unlike them, he has no official public role.
Yet his absence from the image was made even more likely after news broke that the future Queen of Norway’s son is reportedly being investigated for a fourth sexual offence.
Borg Hoiby is currently awaiting trial on charges of rape and domestic violence.
The Norwegian Royal Family has released their annual Christmas photograph – and there is one family member notably absent
Norwegian magazine Se Og Hor reported earlier this month that Borg Hoiby is under investigation for a new offence believed to have occurred ‘a few hundred metres away’ from the Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit‘s Skaugum Estate.
Local news outlet Dagbladet reported that the offence – which could range from sexually offensive behaviour to rape – is said to have occurred when the alleged victim was present with a friend.
The Norwegian publication added the friend is allegedly the same woman Borg Hoiby is accused of raping in Skaugum on September 26.
Borg Hoiby, 27, was arrested and charged with rape last month, before being released from custody on November 27.
At the time, police said ‘an investigation has been launched into another matter concerning sexual offences’, according to a translated copy of the press release.
Lawyers for Borg Hoiby declined to comment on the latest investigation into a fourth possible sexual offense; Crown Prince Haakon’s stepson has previously denied the rape charges.
The report comes days after it emerged Hoiby – who is currently awaiting trial on charges of rape and domestic violence – had breached a restraining order against one of his alleged victims.
Borg Hoiby is said to have contacted one of the women after leaving a rehab facility in London, thereby violating the terms of the order, according to Norwegian media. It’s not clear if Borg Hoiby has been arrested again.
Former mechanic Marius Borg Hoiby, 27, who is often referred to as the ‘black sheep’ of Norway’s Household, wasn’t included in the holiday snap
Instead, King Harald V of Norway and Queen Sonja were joined by their son Crown Prince Haakon, his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit , and their 20-year-old daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra
Prince Sverre Magnus, Crown Prince Haakon, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Marius Borg Høiby pictured in 2019 in Oslo
His first arrest was on August 4th for an assault, he was then arrested again on September 13 for a different alleged assault and a third time in November on rape charges.
Late last month, Borg Hoiby was released from custody after he was arrested on suspicion of rape.
The 27-year-old – who has since been accused of a second rape – was banned from having visitors and letters during his stay in custody due to the risk of tampering with evidence, NRK reported.
Police said Borg Høiby was released because they believed there was no longer any danger of evidence being lost or destroyed.
At the time, police allegedly requested that Borg Høiby be detained for two weeks, but he was only held for one, according to local paper Se Og Hor.
They also reported that he has been given two new restraining orders.
Speaking of Borg Høiby’s release, his defence lawyer Øyvind Bratlien told NRK: ‘This was not surprising. He shouldn’t have been imprisoned at all. I think it was wrong, I won’t say more.’
Borg Høiby was arrested last month in Oslo on a preliminary charge of having had ‘sexual intercourse with someone who is unconscious or for other reasons unable to resist the act.’
The future Queen of Norway’s son is reportedly being investigated for a fourth sexual offense after it emerged Marius Borg Hoiby had violated his restraining order
Norwegian media on Wednesday reported that Hoiby is under investigation for a new offense believed to have occurred ‘a few hundred metres away’ from the Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit ‘s Skaugum Estate
A preliminary charge comes before a formal charge and allows authorities to detain suspects during an investigation.
At the time, police did not say when the alleged rape occurred, but only that ‘the victim must have been unable to resist the act.’ Norwegian media reported that Borg Høiby has denied the accusation.
‘Marius is facing serious accusations, which the police and the judiciary will deal with… I am convinced they will do a good job,’ Prince Haakon told public broadcaster NRK before the detention order last week.
Speaking about the second allegation, police lawyer Andreas Kruszewski had said it ‘involves sexual intercourse without consent with a woman incapable of resisting the act’.
Investigators searched and seized items from Borg Høiby’s home. The police investigation is ongoing, and no trial date has been set.
Since his arrest, a shocking video of Borg Høiby has been shared with the Norwegian publication Se og Hør, which allegedly shows the former mechanic illustrating how he ended the relationship with an ex.
In the clip, Borg Høiby is reportedly asked: ‘How did you break up with your last girlfriend?’. Shrugging his shoulders, he then leans forward towards the camera as he makes a slapping gesture with his hands.
Borg Høiby is the stepson of the heir to the Norwegian throne, Crown Prince Haakon, and the son of Mette-Marit from a previous relationship
The Norwegian royal family was rocked by Høiby’s first arrest at the beginning of August. Pictured with his mother in 2016
It is not known when the video was recorded – but it was allegedly published in a group in Borg Høiby’s own network, which consists of around 50 people.
Borg Høiby’s lawyer, Bratlien, said his client was innocent and was opposed to being held in preventive detention.
Bratlien said he would appeal the detention ruling, but welcomed the fact that judges had not granted the police request for a two-week detention. ‘We consider that promising,’ he said in a written statement to NRK.
The rape charge comes after he was accused of bodily harm following a late-night row on August 4 at the Oslo apartment of a woman he was having a relationship with, police said.
Norwegian media reported that police found a knife stuck in one of the woman’s bedroom walls at the time.
Borg Høiby in a later statement to the media admitted to causing her bodily harm while he was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol and of damaging her apartment. He said he regretted his acts.
Borg Høiby was arrested again in September for breaching a restraining order.
When he was detained last Monday, he was in a car with the alleged victim of the August incident, according to police.
When he turned 20, the royal court announced Marius was stepping away from public life and his profile was removed from the family’s official website
The Norwegian royal family was rocked by Borg Høiby’s first arrest at the beginning of August, after a woman – Rebecca Helberg Arntsen – was left in hospital with her injuries following an attack.
A week after his arrest, Borg Høiby admitted to the assault on Rebecca, whom he referred to as his ‘girlfriend’ (her lawyers have refuted this claim).
In a statement issued via his own lawyer, Borg Høiby said he suffers from ‘several mental disorders’ and has ‘struggled with substance abuse for a long time’, which he said he is resuming treatment for.
The statement read: ‘Last weekend 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.
‘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.’
Mette-Marit’s eldest son also apologised to his family for his actions that have ‘greatly affected you’.
Weeks later, the 27-year-old was taken into custody after breaching a restraining order.
The restraining order in question was for the protection of Rebecca Helberg Arntsen, whom Borg Høiby admitted to assaulting, in a booze and drug-fuelled attack on 4 August, which saw him arrested for the first time and held in a police cell overnight.