The son of Princess Mette-Marit of Norway has been arrested on suspicion of assault before the rape case.

Oslo, Norway — The eldest son of a Norwegian princess has been arrested, just before his trial began rape cases in a case that embarrassed the royal family, police said on Monday.

Marius Borg Høiby was arrested on Sunday evening on new charges of assault, threatening with a knife and breaching a restraining order, police said in a statement. They asked to be jailed for four weeks on the grounds that they would commit the crime again. His lawyers could not be reached for comment.

Høiby was due to go on trial on Tuesday at the Oslo district court. The case includes 38 charges, including rape, intimate partner violence, acts of violence against another and transporting 7.7 kg of marijuana. Other offenses include making death threats and traffic violations.

Høiby has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 on various charges. He was charged in August but remained at large until Sunday.

Høiby is the son of Crown of Princess Mette-Marit from a previous relationship. He is the adopted son of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, but has no royal title or official duties himself.

Charges include four counts of rape between 2018 and November 2024; allegations of violence and threats against an ex-partner between the summer of 2022 and the fall of 2023; and two alleged acts of violence against a subsequent partner, and a violation of a restraining order.

Høiby’s defense team said he “denies all charges of sexual assault, as well as many charges of violence.”

Haakon said last week that he and Mette-Marit do not plan to go to court and that the royal family does not intend to comment during the trial.

He stressed that Høiby is not part of the royal family and that, as a Norwegian citizen, he has the same obligations and rights as everyone else. He said he hoped that all parties involved would conduct the trial in an orderly, fair and just manner as possible.

While the royal family is generally popular in Norway, the Høiby case has cast a shadow over their image. And the case is being opened just as his mother is facing renewed scrutiny over her connections to Jeffrey Epstein.

Crown Princess of Norway Mette-Marit mentioned in the Epstein files

On Friday the release of the latest batch of documents from the Epstein files an unpleasant light shone on Mette-Marit. They contain several hundred statements about the crown princess, who already said in 2019 that she regretted having contact with Epstein, Norwegian media reported.

The newly released documents, which include email exchanges with Epstein, show that Mette-Marit borrowed Epstein’s property in Palm Beach, Florida, for several days in early 2013, and the royal house confirmed that she did so through a mutual friend, broadcaster NRK reported.

In a statement sent by the royal house by email, Mette-Marit said, “he must answer for not properly investigating Epstein’s background, and for not realizing quickly what kind of person he was.”

“I deeply regret this, and it is a responsibility that I must bear. I showed poor judgment and regret that I had any contact with Epstein at all,” he said. “It’s just embarrassing.”

He expressed his “deep sympathy and solidarity” with the victims of Epstein’s abuse.