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Son of Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marius Borg Høiby (born 13 January 1997)[1] is a relative of the Norwegian royal family.[2] He is the son of Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway from her previous relationship with convicted felon Morten Borg.[3] Høiby received a lot of media attention as the first step-child in the history of the royal family, widely nicknamed "Little Marius" after a famous literary character. He is a commoner and the royal family has stated that "he shall not have a public role and is not a public figure."[4] However, he sometimes participated in family events in the royal family.[5]
Marius Borg Høiby | |
|---|---|
Høiby in 2005 | |
| Born | 13 January 1997 Oslo, Norway |
| Nationality | Norwegian |
| Education | Santa Monica College (dropped out) |
| Occupation(s) | Sales person, fashion consultant, mechanic |
| Known for | Son of Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby |
| Criminal charge | Violence, assault, battery and threats (charged 2024); drug possession (convicted 2017) |
Høiby was born on 13 January 1997 at Aker University Hospital in Oslo,[6] Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby, then a waitress, and Morten Borg, a convicted felon.[3] His grandfather Sven O. Høiby was also a convicted felon.[7] His parents were never in a relationship, and only had a brief encounter[5] after they were introduced by John Ognby, Høiby's former cohabitant and fiancé, who was also a convicted felon.[8][9] At the time of Høiby's birth, Borg was in prison for drug-related violent crimes, and the two did not meet until Høiby moved to Oslo with his mother. Høiby had resided in a lower working class environment outside Oslo where several of her acquaintances and family members, including her child's father, had served time in prison.[5] After her son was born, she relocated to her childhood home of Kristiansand, where Marius Høiby was raised by his mother and her then-partner, a local disk jockey, until the couple split in early 1999.[5] Later that same year, she met Crown Prince Haakon and in 2000 moved to Oslo to live with him alongside her son. The fact that Mette-Marit was a single mother and the circumstances surrounding this, including the background of the child's father as a convicted felon, were considered controversial when Mette-Marit married Crown Prince Haakon. TV2 later wrote that "merely by existing, Marius Borg Høiby was seen by many as a scandal for the royal family."[5] He was widely nicknamed "Little Marius" by the media at the time.[5]
Høiby enrolled at the high school Wang Toppidrettsgymnas in 2013 and graduated in 2016. The following year he began business studies at Santa Monica College in California, a community college catering to non-traditional students,[10] but dropped out after a few months without completing a degree. In late 2017, Høiby moved back to Norway briefly, before briefly working as an intern for designer Philipp Plein,[11] after which he was hired as style editor for the UK-based fashion magazine Tempus, until its closure in December 2018. Høiby moved back to Norway in 2019, residing in Tønsberg with then-partner Juliane Snekkestad.[12] After the couple split in 2022, Høiby moved to one of the houses at Skaugum, the official residence of the Crown Prince and Princess.[13]
Høiby was convicted of drug possession in 2017. When arrested, he claimed his residence was the royal palace, although he lived in Asker in another municipality.[14]
Høiby is not royal, holds no title and is a commoner.[2] While he is in the personal, extended family of some people who are royal, this in itself does not make him royal. As of 2006, the website of the royal family stated that the royal house and family included his legitimate half-siblings Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, and made no mention of Høiby being part of the family.[15] His maternal grandfather, Sven O. Høiby, frequently spoke publicly about "little Marius" during his childhood, expressing that he believed his grandson should be given the title of prince to avoid feeling second-class and becoming a target of bullying. He also claimed that he planned to write a book about his grandson.[5] Despite the absence of any formal roles or titles, Høiby has attended several royal events as a guest, including official state visits, dinners and Constitution Day celebrations.[16]
In adulthood, media reports regarding Høiby became more common, earning him a reputation in Norway as entitled and spoiled due to several minor scandals and controversies surrounding him.[17] Since 2016, Høiby has been in a series of high-profile relationships. Between 2016 and 2017, he was in a relationship with wealthy heir Linn Helena Nilsen,[11][18] after which Høiby was in a relationship with influencer Juliane Snekkestad, whom he had met while working in Milano, between 2018 and 2022. He briefly dated influencer Nora Haukland after his relationship with Snekkestad ended, before the couple split in 2023.
He has been charged with domestic violence.[19][20]
Three people have been victimized in regard to violence, according to the charges
In addition, one person has allegedly received death threat from Høiby, according to police.[21][39] Høiby is charged with having messaged him (through Instagram) and written that the person is a ('fucking dead man' or) «fuckings død mann».[40] Høiby has admitted culpability, in regard to the threat.[35]
Controversy about Høiby being notified in advance of his arrest in August: The authorities notified the Royal Court that Høiby would possibly be arrested; The Royal Court notified the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess; The Crown Princess notified Høiby, and a half hour later she drove him from Skaugum to an adjacent property, to the appointment with police; Media claims (as of November) that Høiby and his family has received preferential treatment from police.[33]
A full-time program of drug rehabilitation of Høiby, is supposed to start "within a short time" of mid-October, according to Høiby's lawyer.[41] Earlier (September 25), the chief editor of Se og Hør said that Høiby should be forced to move from the royal residence at Skaugum.[42] Media has raised the question of whether the Crown Prince or Crown Princess finance Høiby's drug habit.[43]
Other reactions to the alleged crimes of 2024, include - after the first arrest - royal commentator Johan T. Lindwall describing Høiby's behavior as a "catastrophe" for the monarchy.[2] Royal commentator Sebastian Mattsson said Marius Høiby is viewed as the black sheep among the extended family of the royals due to his many scandals and controversies, but highlighting the 2024 charges as a new low.[44] Newspaper editor Trygve Hegnar described Høiby as "the psycho who brings down the royal family."[45]
Ten days after his arrest in August, Høiby released a statement admitting to his crimes and apologizing to the victim, adding that the incidents had taken place in a "haze of alcohol and cocaine" and stating that he has "several mental disorders."[46] The police interviews (or interrogations) of Høiby, have been completed (as of the middle of October).[47]
On 23 August Høiby was also charged with making threats.[48]
Høiby has been at the center of several scandals and controversies after becoming an adult.
As an adult, he made headlines in 2016 after posting several luxury items for sale on a Norwegian online trade site using the Royal residence as address, which led to criticism of Høiby misusing his proximity to the Royal family for monetary gain, something his grandfather had also been criticized for previously.[49] In 2018, Høiby was referred to as a "Prince of Norway" in Tempus Magazine, where he briefly worked as an editor, which again led to criticism from several Norwegian media outlets, until the references were removed from print and the magazine's website.[50][51] During 2023 and 2024, several outlets reported Høiby posting videos and images to social media showing him speeding and recklessly driving,[52] engaging in heavy partying and other offences, with Dagbladet describing his circuit of friends being one of "wealthy heirs, reality stars and influencers, mixed in with seasoned criminals and drug offenders".[53] This led to many experts criticizing Høiby as a security risk given his proximity to the Royal family and residence near them.[54] Several outlets also criticized Høiby's repeated misuse of a false princely title, leading some outlets to refer to him as "the pseudo prince".[55]
In 2024, media said that he had abused a diplomatic passport, a type of passport meant to be used by individuals on official missions representing Norway, even though he is not a diplomat and does not hold any public role. The media reported that he had "abused" the passport multiple times, including to evade the police abroad, even while under the influence of drugs.[56]
Høiby was convicted of drug possession in 2017.[14]
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