Crown Princess's son asks to be released from prison as mother 'gravely ill'

The son of Norway's Crown Princess, Marius Borg Høiby, has asked to be released from prison due to his mother's worsening health.

Høiby was on trial earlier this year for a total of 40 charges, including allegations of raping four women as well as domestic abuse and other crimes. He has pleaded not guilty to the four charges of rape. However, he pleaded guilty to several driving offences, to an aggravated drugs offence and breaking a restraining order, and “partly” to threats and aggravated assault.

The request comes after the news that his mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, will undergo a lung transplant ”as soon as possible”, as her chronic pulmonary fibrosis diagnosis continues to worsen.

Høiby's defence attorney, Ellen Holager Andenas, told Norwegian news outlet NRK that they have made the request for his release from custody as his mother's health worsens.

His stepsister, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, flew back from Australia this week, where she is a student at the University of Sydney, to be with her mother.

Ms Andenas told NRK: "We have asked the police to do it, and if the police don't do it, we will have to go to court. I find it hard to believe that they won't seriously consider it now."

The Crown Princess's son, who was born from a previous relationship, has been in custody since his trial concluded on February 1.

Last month, he requested to be released from custody to live at his stepfather's official residence, Skaugum, while wearing an ankle monitor. However, the Oslo District Court refused his request, citing a high risk of reoffending, and he has remained at Oslo Prison ever since his trial ended.

In court, he said, "I have a family member with a disease that makes it challenging for them to come to prison. It's due to the air quality, the mould, and the fact that the prison is an old building." He also said the isolation was taking a physical toll.

"I feel more passive, I'm having trouble sleeping, I'm losing my appetite, and I get the shakes," he said. He added that he had closed the chapter on drugs and alcohol — substances that are prohibited under house arrest conditions. "I'll do everything I can to leave that cell, and I don't want to go back. Besides, I know that I have no second chance."

The trial was one of the biggest in Norway's history and detailed the stepson of the future King's drug addiction, self-made videos of sexual encounters and more than 800 electronic messages entered into evidence.

Lead prosecutor Sturla Henriksboe set out the sentence he was seeking for the 40 charges against Høiby, including four counts of rape, which investigators said happened when the alleged victims were sleeping or unconscious.

Mr Henriksboe told the court that Høiby must be treated like any other citizen, facing neither a tougher nor softer punishment due to his links to the Norwegian Royal Family.

Marius Borg Høiby's trial has concluded, and a verdict is expected on June 15.