Disgraced royal on trial for rape begs for early release to see dying mum

Disgraced royal on trial for rape begs for early release to see dying mum Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Norway's Crown Princess, is currently in custody while awaiting the verdict for his rape trial - but has asked to be freed to visit his ill mother A disgraced royal who is currently on trial for rape has pleaded for release to visit his seriously ill mum. Marius Borg Høiby, 29, the son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, is currently detained on trial facing 40 charges including rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence. The Oslo District Court has granted him permission to be temporarily released due to his mum's deteriorating health. Princess Mette-Marit, 52, suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, which causes lung tissue to become progressively scarred and stiff, and has been placed on a lung transplant list as a result. Patients on the waiting list are typically suffering from advanced lung disease and face a significantly reduced life expectancy without a transplant, with many considered to be at high risk of dying within two years. Høiby, who is accused of raping four women between 2018 and 2024 while they were sleeping or incapacitated, will not be let go until the Court of Appeal makes a decision, with prosecutors appealing the move to have him temporarily released. He previously said that when he and his mother meet in prison, he knows "it could be the last time I see her." The defendant is due to be sentenced on June 15 and faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. He denies the most serious charges, which include four counts of rape as well as serious assault, maintaining that he had consensual sex with all four women before the alleged rapes took place. Høiby is also accused of physically and psychologically abusing an ex-girlfriend between 2022 and 2023, and acting violently towards another former partner. His team says he "denies all charges of sexual abuse, as well as the majority of the charges regarding violence". Høiby's first arrest, on August 4, 2024, came after the alleged assault of his then girlfriend Rebecca Helberg Arntsen, which left her hospitalised. A week later, he said in a statement released through his lawyer that he suffers from "several mental disorders" and has "struggled with substance abuse for a long time". The royal was re-arrested in September for allegedly breaching a restraining order, while a further arrest came in November following the rape charges.