Norwegian royal family breaks silence on rape scandal and admit getting 'professional help' after 'challenging year'

The Norwegian royal family have broken their silence after allegations of rape emerged against the future King's stepson, confessing they have sought 'professional help' during the 'challenging year'. 

The Scandinavian royals have been rocked by scandal over the last 12 months after Marius Borg Høiby 27 - the son of Mette-Marit from a previous relationship prior to her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon. 

Police arrested Marius Borg Hoiby, 27, on August 4 following a night-time row at an apartment in Oslo, where he was later charged with assaulting his 'ex-girlfriend' as well as threatening to set her clothes ablaze. 

When police arrived following the cocaine and alcohol-fuelled assault, police found a knife stuck in one of the walls of the woman's bedroom at the apartment. 

Høiby admitted to assault whilst 'under the influence of alcohol and cocaine' in a statement where he said he suffered with 'mental troubles' and struggled 'for a long time with substance abuse'. 

In an interview with NRK, Norway's public broadcasting group on Christmas day, his mother - the Crown Princess said: 'If I had to choose one word for this year, it would be ‘challenging’.'

'It has been a demanding year and a demanding autumn for us,' Princess Mette-Marit added.  

Following the incident, Høiby became the first ever royal family member to have been charged with a crime and is no longer publicly listed as part of the Scandinavian household.

After his arrest, in a statement to NRK, Borg Høiby, labelled the ‘black sheep’ of the Norwegian Royal Family, said that 'something happened that should never have happened.'

'I committed bodily harm and destroyed objects in an apartment while under the influence of alcohol and cocaine after an argument,' he added.

Borg Høiby said he had suffered with 'mental troubles' and struggled 'for a long time with substance abuse'. He said he would seek new treatment and 'take it very seriously'.

But he added that 'the consumption of drugs and my diagnoses do not excuse what happened in the apartment.' 'I want to take responsibility for what I did,' he said, promising to be frank with police.

He added: 'For me, the most important thing is to say sorry to my girlfriend. She deserved neither what happened that night, nor the extreme pressure from both the Norwegian and foreign press afterwards.'

Mette-Marit's eldest son also apologised to his family for his actions that have 'greatly affected you'.

The Crown Prince's stepson has since been arrested twice in November, with police looking into assault claims brought forward by two other former partners. 

Claims emerged that Borg Høiby engaged in a sexual act without intercourse two times 'with someone who is... unable to resist the act', the Times reports. 

After being arrested on preliminary charges, which he refuted, he was let out a week later, with his lawyer stating the 27-year-old was undergoing treatment, which is believed to be happening in London. 

Holby was also notably absent from the royal family's Christmas card this year. 

Instead, King Harald V of Norway and Queen Sonja were joined by their son Crown Prince Haakon, his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and their 20-year-old daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra. 

But Prince Sverre Magnus, 18, was also not included in the festive photograph, where the five beaming royals posed up a storm next to a Christmas tree.

Sverre Magnus now lives in Trondheim, rather than Oslo with the Royal Family, and wasn't there when the picture was taken, Head of Communications at the Palace, Guri Varpe, revealed to Dagbladet.

In an NRK programme called, The Year of The Royal Family 2024, Mette-Marit also said Høiby had a right to privacy, whilst confessing they had been seeking 'professional help' 'for a long time'. 

I don’t think we would have been able to be in a situation like this without having that help, together as a family, and at the same time fulfil our obligations to the Norwegian people,' she said. 

While the family declined to comment on the Crown Princess's son, the future King said he did not want to disclose more about the situation, adding that they 'would like him to have space to find his own way.'

Queen Sonja said the situation was 'taking its toll', while her husband King Harald who has backed Mette-Marit  said it was difficult for a family member to go through such an experience but they now had to 'let the legal system work as it should'.

The claims have taken a hit on the royal family, with backing for the household falling from 81 percent in 2017 to 62 percent last September.

However the allegations haven't been the only woes troubling the family with the 87-year-old King becoming unwell in February after a trip to Malaysia. 

Queen Sonja revealed she was concerned she would have to travel back alone at one point as the monarch's health deteriorated. 

Following the incident, King Harold had a pacemaker since lowered the amount of public assignments he carries out from 431 to 371. 

Despite using crutches as well as a concerning low heartbeat, the monarch refuses to take give up his crown. 

It comes afterPrincess Martha Louise of Norway - Haakon's sister - wed her new husband 'Shaman' Durek Verret in a controversial ceremony. 

The spiritual newlyweds, who claim to have first met during ancient times, married in a huge ceremony in Geiranger in Norway in August, witnessed by 350 guests.

The union was mired with controversy - partly due to Verrett's views, which include believing that childhood cancer is caused by unhappiness.