Marius Borg Høiby Allowed to Leave House Arrest for King Harald’s Funeral After Rape Convictions

Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Norway’s Queen Mette-Marit, has been granted temporary leave from electronically monitored custody to attend funeral events for King Harald V, less than three months after he was convicted of two rapes and sentenced to four years in prison.

Prosecutors authorized Høiby, 29, to leave the Skaugum royal estate for the Aug. 31 procession moving Harald’s coffin to the Palace Chapel in Oslo. He joined members of the royal family Monday and has also received permission to attend the king’s state funeral on Sept. 9.

Høiby remains in remand custody while appealing his rape and domestic abuse convictions. Although his arrangement has widely been described as house arrest, he is not serving his four-year prison sentence at Skaugum. He was transferred from jail to electronic monitoring at the estate in July while his criminal case remains unresolved on appeal.

Oslo District Court convicted Høiby on June 15 of 34 of the 40 charges he faced, including two rape offenses, domestic abuse and other crimes. He was acquitted of two additional rape charges. Høiby denied the rape allegations during the case but admitted several lesser offenses.

His lawyers later appealed the rape and domestic abuse convictions. Prosecutors are also challenging the sentence, arguing that the court imposed less prison time than the offenses warranted. No date has been announced for the appeal.

Norway began allowing electronic monitoring as an alternative to ordinary remand custody in August 2025. Under Section 184b of the country’s Criminal Procedure Act, a court may allow someone who would otherwise remain detained to stay at an approved location under electronic monitoring when the legal requirements for the arrangement are met.

Remand custody restricts a person’s freedom while criminal proceedings remain unresolved. Courts may impose it when grounds for continued detention exist, including concerns over flight, interference with evidence or further offenses. Electronic monitoring changes where the custody takes place, but the person remains subject to restrictions and supervision.

Authorities can also approve specific departures without ending the underlying detention order. Prosecutors said Høiby was permitted to visit Harald at Oslo University Hospital on Aug. 27, the day before the king died, and later received permission to visit Bygdøy Royal Estate and the Royal Palace.

Separate approval was granted for Monday’s procession and the Sept. 9 funeral. Høiby remains subject to his electronic monitoring and other custody conditions outside the authorized departures.

Harald died Aug. 28 at age 89 after more than 35 years on the Norwegian throne. His son succeeded him as King Haakon VIII, making Mette-Marit queen. Høiby is Mette-Marit’s son from a relationship before her marriage to Haakon. He has no royal title, performs no official royal duties and is not in the line of succession.

Høiby’s current remand order is scheduled to expire Sept. 7, two days before Harald’s funeral. Prosecutors must decide whether to ask the Oslo District Court to extend his custody or allow the order to expire. Police prosecutor Oda Karterud said Monday that authorities had not received a request from Høiby’s lawyers seeking his release. His criminal appeal remains pending.