Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, told an Oslo court on Thursday that he had previously read rumours claiming he had raped a woman, which prompted him to look up the terms online before he was formally charged.
Høiby, 29, faces a total of 38 charges, including several counts of rape as classified by Norwegian law in a case that has drawn massive international attention.
The court heard evidence on Wednesday relating to an incident in December 2018 at the residence of Norway’s crown prince and princess.
Høiby is set to be questioned further about the alleged incident on Thursday, the third day of court proceedings, the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang said.
According to the indictment, Høiby is accused of sexually penetrating a woman with his finger while she slept during a party at the residence. Video recordings, allegedly made by Høiby himself, showed the incident.
The alleged victim, identified only as “the woman from the party” in Norwegian media, told the court she experienced a complete blackout and felt “betrayal and a shock” when she was made aware of the incident.
Police officers, friends of the involved parties and former security guards are also expected to give their statements during the trial.
Høiby denied the rape and serious sexual abuse allegations at the start of the trial and said on Thursday that he googled his name and the word “rape” after reading rumours about him online.
Norwegian media reported that he told the court: “I am incredibly tired today. I sit in my cell a lot and think.”
Just two days ahead of the trial, Høiby was arrested and taken into custody on Sunday evening on suspicion of physical assault, threatening someone with a knife and violating a restraining order.
He has admitted to other offences, including domestic violence, damage to property, drug abuse and traffic violations. He is charged with a total of 38 counts, including four of rape.
Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship before she married Crown Prince Haakon and he is not an official member of the Norwegian royal household.
Haakon and Mette-Marit have said they will not attend the trial and do not wish to comment on it.