Woman testifies Norwegian princess’ son raped her while she slept: “Worst nightmare”

A second woman testified in an Oslo court on Tuesday, accusing the suspect the son of a Norwegian princess of raping her while she was sleeping, which she described as “the worst nightmare of all.”

Marius Borg HoibyThe son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 29, from a relationship before her marriage to the heir to the throne Haakon in 2001, faces 38 charges, including. raping four women and attacks on people they were in love with.

He pleaded not guilty to the most serious charges. He faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted.

On Tuesday, a second alleged victim testified to a rape that prosecutors say took place on October 8, 2023, following a party at an apartment in Norway’s Lofoten Islands where Hoiby and his stepfather were visiting on a surfing trip.

After consensual sex, the alleged victim — a young woman he met on Tinder — said she woke up after Hoiby resumed a non-consensual sexual relationship with her.

“That was my worst nightmare,” he told the court, recalling how he closed his eyes “so I wouldn’t take part in my attack”.

“I remember waking up after it started, I thought, ‘I don’t understand how someone can sleep with someone who is sleeping’,” she said.

“Then, I felt that I was separating myself, leaving my body,” he added.

“It was painful. My body was not ready.”

In an attempt to prove that the sex took place when he was in no condition to abandon it, the prosecution presented as evidence a video allegedly taken by Hoiby on his phone, which the police later recovered.

Prosecutor Sturla Henriksbo said the five-second video shows the woman sleeping at the time.

The suspect also spoke out against the photos, which he said were recorded without his knowledge — and Hoiby was also charged with them.

The prosecution also introduced data from his fitness watch to prove he was asleep at the time.

“According to the prosecutor, the change of heart is the most important,” Henriksbo told the court.

Hoiby — who appeared pale at the start of Tuesday’s hearing, his hands shaking — was scheduled to take the stand Tuesday.

Last week, the court heard the testimony of another young woman who said Hoiby raped her at a party in the basement of her parents’ royal house outside Oslo in December 2018.

Attorneys for the defendants denied all allegations of rape, saying last week that it was “a normal and consensual sexual relationship.”

A few days before the trial, Hoiby was arrested on new charges alleging assault, threatening with a knife and violating a restraining order.

This case has deeply embarrassed the royal family, especially his mother he suffers from chronic lung disease and torn between her role as mother and future queen.

Prince Haakon issued a statement in late January saying neither he nor Mette-Marit would attend the trial.

Hoiby was raised by the royal couple and his siblings, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus. Unlike them, he has no formal role in society.

In his statement, Haakon referred to Hoiby’s “independent” status.

“Marius Borg Hoiby is not a member of the Royal House of Norway and therefore he is independent. We care about him, and he is an important member of our family. He is a citizen of Norway and, thus, has the same responsibilities as everyone else – and the same rights,” said Haakon.