Marius Borg Høiby is on trial accused of 38 crimes including four rapes and assaults
The former partner of Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Norway’s crown princess, has told a court he punched her in the face during their relationship and “often” grabbed her by the throat.
Høiby, 29, Mette-Marit’s son from a relationship before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, is on trial accused of 38 crimes, including four rapes and assaults.
He has pleaded not guilty to the most serious offences, including the alleged rapes. He faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted.
The trial comes at a time of intense scrutiny of the Norwegian royal family after files released by the US justice department revealed Mette-Marit’s ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
