Name: Marius Borg Høiby, son of Norway's crown princess, denies rape as trial begins | BBC News
Uploaded: 2026-02-03T17:11:07.000Z
Duration: 3 min 33 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

The Epstein scandal also affecting the Norwegian royal family.

Under the spotlight, under pressure like never before.

This latest tranche of files that links the Crown Princess there in Norway, Mette Marit, to Jeffrey Epstein.

And we also had this morning her son appearing in court in Oslo.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charge of raping four women.

Marius Borghoby is accused of 38 criminal offences.

This is Norway's biggest trial for years.

He is not himself a royal, but the scandal has shaken the family that raised him.

His arrest on Sunday was the fourth time he'd been detained by police since August 2024, when he was accused of assaulting a woman he'd been having a relationship with.

He's denied the most serious charges against him, but admitted some of the more minor ones.

Despite the pressure the Norwegian royal family are under, Parliament there did vote overwhelmingly today in favour of maintaining the country's monarchy, rejecting a proposed change to a republic.

I've been speaking to Jettel Ostelhaum, who is the political editor of Afton Posten and Norway's largest newspaper, and

I asked him how the public are viewing the trial.

Well, this is a really difficult time for the Dwindian royal family.

Of course, the interest is very high for the trial starting today.

But also the revelations that came this weekend about the links between the Crown Princess and Jeffrey Epstein.

We've had two polls coming out yesterday and today about with the question can Mette Marit become queen one day?

And nearly half of the population say no at this time.

That's a blow for the monarchy and none of the royal family intend to appear in court.

Have they said anything publicly about the trial?

They have said that this is up to the court to decide.

And if they had been at court, that would be criticized, I would say, because that would be a way of influencing the court from the position they have.

So I don't think they had any other choice than to stay away.

How are the royal family in general viewed in Norway?

It's slightly more relaxed, the situation with some of the Scandinavian roles than it is here in the uk.

There will be 90 next year and they are very much respected.

The question of their eldest, their daughter, Princess Mata Louise, who married the self proclaimed shaman Durek Verrett a half years ago, where there are conflicts about how they use the royal connection with their other projects.

And then you have the trial against Metamarit's son and at the same time, the Crown Princess Metamorit has this.

This lung disease, which is quite serious.

So the capacity of the royal family is not very high at the moment.

So it will be the big story in Norway for the next week.

We've been saying this is the biggest trial in Norway for many years.

And also in interest even from international media, of course.

And we will be following that trial throughout here on BBC News.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

Marius Borg Høiby, son of Norway's crown princess, denies rape as trial begins | BBC News

absolutely

situation

slightly

capacity