Queen of Norway's son pleads for release from jail to see sick mother
He's awaiting the verdict of his trial for 40 charges, including [sexual assault], but a Norwegian court granted Marius Borg Hoiby a release this week after he pleaded to see his sick mother, Crown Princess Mette-Marit. It's just the latest turn of events for the 'black sheep' of Norway's royal family - Mette-Marit's 29-year-old son from a relationship before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon - after he was arrested on August 4, 2024, on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend the night prior. Oslo District Court agreed to Hoiby's release given that his mother's condition, pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive disease that damages and scars lung tissue, has worsened, leading her to be placed on a lung transplant list.Crown Princess's worsening condition Lung specialist Are Holm at Oslo's University Hospital told Norway's public broadcaster NRK that the Crown Princess has had a 'significant worsening of her pulmonary fibrosis over the past six months' - and those on the transplant list are to be considered so sick that they likely only have one year left to live. She has suspended her official duties, and a new medical update will only be provided after the lung transplant has taken place, a statement from Norway's Royal Court said Friday. Prosecutors appealed Hoiby's release and asked for a suspensive effect, NRK reported, meaning he will not be released until the Court of Appeal makes a decision. A time frame for the appeal is currently unclear. Hoiby, who is due to receive his verdict on June 15, will remain in custody until the appeal is processed. At the same time, Mette-Marit has faced backlash after her bond with [child predator] Jeffrey Epstein came to light, with the Epstein files revealing that frequent communication between her and Epstein occurred long after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting an underage girl.TV show creates more royal drama Additional drama is simultaneously unfolding for the royal family with the upcoming arrival of a second reality TV show by King Harald and Queen Sonja's eldest daughter, Princess Martha Louise, and her 'shaman' husband, Durek Verrett. The couple's first Netflix show, Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story, took an 'intimate look' at the love story between Martha Louise and the Hollywood 'half-reptilian and bisexual' shaman. The film followed the couple as they 'navigated a swirl of controversy' and prepared for their wedding, which took place in the picturesque small town of Geiranger in 2024. In a move dubbed 'Norway's Megxit', Martha Louise relinquished her royal role in November 2022, Eyebrows were raised when the princess first began dating Verrett, who holds some controversial and pseudoscientific views, including that cancer in children can be caused by 'being unhappy'. The couple were introduced by friends in 2019 and have claimed to have known each other in a past life, specifically from ancient Egypt. Durek, 51, admitted he thought he'd end up with a 'man or alien' before he eventually wed Norway's princess. Durek was previously engaged to masseur Hank Greenberg, whom he had been in a relationship with since 2007. He also revealed that Princess Martha 'fell in love with me first' and that he was 'apprehensive' at the start of their romance. 'As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter if it's a male or female, or it could be another being from another planet,' he continued, before the footage cut to a video call, where the Shaman claimed he is 'half-reptilian'. Elsewhere in the previous show, he said: 'Marrying into the royal family, it's just very very surreal.' Princess Martha added: 'The royal family is very very loved. They were like, 'Who is this man and where is he taking our princess?'' A lot of people expected me to be a certain way and live up to who I'm supposed to be, and I don't. 'Because he is a Shaman, people say that he is dangerous for the royal family, and I am brainwashed.'Growing scrutiny of Norwegian royal family Their latest reality TV venture perhaps adds to what has been one of the toughest periods for the Norwegian throne in modern times after Mette-Marit's son, Marius Borg Høiby, was charged with [sexual abuse], and sexual assault in June last year. He went on trial in Oslo in February for multiple offences, including charges of [sexual assault]. Høiby, stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, has been under scrutiny since he was repeatedly arrested in 2024 on preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage. The charges included four counts of [sexual abuse], four cases of sexual assault and two cases of bodily harm. 'Every Sunday when we meet in prison, I know that it could be the last time I see her,' Høiby said of his mother, according to Nine.com . Challenges intensified earlier this year again, when the future Queen's seemingly intimate bond with her 'sweetheart', Jeffrey Epstein, came to light - with one email released in the Epstein Files suggesting she was still in contact with the late [child predator] financier just months before his death.Epstein links While it was known that the Princess had corresponded with Epstein, the intimacy of the emails blows apart any suggestion that the pair were mere associates, with the late [child predator] referring to her as 'twisted' and 'not your typical royal'. The princess was forced to apologise in February after she faced scrutiny over her contact with the dead sex offender. Last month, she made a rare public appearance for the constitution parade - one of the first times the royal has been spotted wearing an oxygen mask to aid her breathing at a public event. Together with her husband, 52, and son, Prince Sverre Magnus, 20, the family watched the children's parade from their residence, Skaugum in Oslo, Norway. The couple's daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, meanwhile, has cut her bachelor's degree short at the University of Sydney as her mother's health worsens - and her grandmother, Queen Sonja, was diagnosed with heart failure last month. The 22-year-old moved to Australia to study a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Sydney. Her degree is focused on international relations and political economy. She was seven months into the three-year degree and had been staying at the prestigious St Andrew's College, which costs up to $45,000 a year. The Princess has maintained a low profile since beginning her studies in Australia, with the Royal House of Norway last year requesting that she have a 'normal' university experience. It is unclear when, or if, Princess Ingrid will return to resume her degree.
