Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon on Tuesday said the royal family would continue with their official responsibilities even as his stepson faces trial next year on rape charges, calling it a difficult and testing time for everyone concerned.
“We will continue to carry out our duties as best we can, as we always do,” Haakon said, in his first public remarks since the charges were announced. “Everyone involved in this case probably finds it challenging and difficult.”
Dozens Of Criminal Offences
Marius Borg Hoiby, 28, son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson to Haakon, was charged on Monday with 32 criminal offences, including the rape of four women as well as domestic violence and assault.
Hoiby denies the most serious accusations against him, including those of rape and domestic violence, but plans to plead guilty to some lesser charges in court when the trial starts, his lawyer told Reuters on Monday.
He could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of the most serious charges in a trial expected to start in January and run for six weeks, the prosecutor in the case has said.
It is up to Norway’s courts to decide the outcome of the case, Crown Prince Haakon told reporters on Tuesday while attending the opening of an industry conference.
Year-Long Investigation
The investigation began in August last year when police named Hoiby as a suspect in a physical assault against a woman with whom he had been in a relationship.
Hoiby, in a statement to the media at the time, admitted to causing bodily harm to the woman while he was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol, and said he regretted his acts.
Not A Royal
Hoiby, who has no royal title and is outside the line of succession, is the older half-brother of Princess Ingrid Alexandra, who is second in line to the throne after her father Haakon.
Hoiby is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit from a relationship prior to her marriage in 2001 to Crown Prince Haakon, Norway’s future king.
(With inputs from Reuters)
