(CN) — The son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Marius Borg Høiby, arrived at the Oslo District Court Tuesday, pleading not guilty to the most serious of 38 charges, including four counts of rape and domestic violence.
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The 29-year-old pleaded not guilty to all rape charges and domestic violence against a former partner, while pleading guilty to some drug charges, violating restraining orders and several driving offenses.
The Norwegian police said video evidence on the rape charges will be presented behind closed doors. Høiby could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty on all counts.
Høiby’s trial starts amid a storm sweeping Norway’s royal house. The latest Epstein files release by the U.S. Department of Justice Friday included email correspondence between Mette-Marit and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who had already been convicted for procuring a child for prostitution.
“You are very charming,” wrote the crown princess to Epstein in 2012.
Mette-Marit is poised to one day become queen of Norway. Høiby is her son from a relationship before she married Crown Prince Haakon and does not hold any official titles.
For months, members of the royal family have distanced Høiby from the royal institution, most recently with the prince and princess announcing their planned absence during the trial.
“He is part of the royal family. He should be treated like anyone else who is accused of the same crimes, “ said Norwegian state prosecutor Sturla Henriksbø in his opening statements. “He should not be treated more severely or more leniently because of those with whom he is related.”
Ellen Holager Andenæs, Høiby’s defense attorney, said her client should receive a fair hearing like anyone. Both Norwegian and global media coverage have had severe consequences for Høiby, Andenæs said.
“Some media outlets have even opened their comment sections. These comments, as Marius certainly notices, are very rude, brutal and prejudiced,” she said.
Despite efforts to distance Høiby, his trial will likely have an impact on the overall public perception of the Norwegian monarchy, said Jannek K. Sommer, lecturer with a specialty in royal branding at the University of Southern Denmark, in an email to Courthouse News.
“It’s a very damaging case for the Norwegian crown. While Marius is not officially a member of the royal family, that distinction is largely technical. In practice, the case has generated a steady stream of damaging publicity for the entire royal household since it first began to surface,” he said.
On Sunday, Høiby was again arrested, with prosecutors adding three charges that may be included in the current trial. A local court on Monday gave police the green light to keep Høiby in custody for the next four weeks.
“Marius was arrested for making threats, reportedly at knifepoint, just as the court case was about to begin. The spillover from the scandal now makes it all but impossible for the royal household to begin rebuilding what has become an increasingly fragile relationship with the Norwegian public,” Sommer said.
A snap poll by Norwegian broadcaster NRK on Monday showed nearly half of 834 respondents don’t think Mette-Marit should become Norway’s next queen.
“The predicament might even come to force Crown Prince Haakon to choose between his marriage and the crown; at the moment, they are clearly not aligned. By putting the line of succession into question, the case threatens the very core of the monarchy’s brand promise: historic stability,” Sommer said.
The crown princess has said her relationship with Epstein was a show of “poor judgment,” adding she regrets having maintained contact with the disgraced American financier after his conviction.
Former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland is one of several high-profile Scandinavian politicians under fresh scrutiny after the release of the Epstein files exposed closer relations with the convicted pedophile than had been previously reported.
“The crown princess herself has stated that she has shown poor judgment, which I agree with. I also believe that Thorbjørn Jagland has done so,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told NRK Sunday.
Norway’s Sex and Society, a specialist center for sexual and reproductive health and rights, ended its collaboration with Mette-Marit Monday. The Red Cross in Norway is considering cutting ties with the crown princess.
Craig Aaen-Stockdale is chairman of the Norwegian republican movement, an organization that wants an end to the monarchy.
“It’s pretty ugly. Rumors have circulated about Mette-Marit and Epstein for many years, and with the release of these files, we can see corruption in plain sight. It is clear that the security services haven’t been doing their job, and the palace has either lied or made multiple mistakes,” he told Courthouse News in an email.
He and his organization have been advocating for public attention on a Tuesday vote in Parliament on whether the monarchy should remain.
It will for now. There were 26 votes to reform the nation into a republic against 141 votes to keep the monarchy. To succeed, the measure would need around two-thirds of the 169 members of Parliament to vote in favor of abolishing the monarchy.
Aaen-Stockdale questioned the timing of the vote on the same day Høiby’s trial opens.
“If I was of a conspiratorial mindset, I would suspect foul play,” he said.
The trial is set to last seven weeks and is expected to conclude March 19.
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