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Skaugum is an estate, manor house and the official residence of Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway and his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit. The estate is located in Asker, 19 km (12 mi) southwest of Oslo, by the foot of the mountain Skaugumsåsen. The estate consists of 48 ha (120 acres) of agricultural lands and 50 ha (120 acres) of woodlands.[1] Skaugum is also known for the Høiby affair involving Marius Borg Høiby, who organized parties at the property with criminal friends that he called "Skaugum festivals," where drugs were consumed and where Høiby is charged with raping women.[2]
| Skaugum | |
|---|---|
 Skaugum in 1932 | |
  Location within Norway | |
| General information | |
| Type | Manor |
| Architectural style | Functionalism |
| Location | Asker, Norway |
| Coordinates | 59°51′14.74″N 10°26′34.95″E |
| Completed | 1932 |
| Owner | Norwegian royal family |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Arnstein Arneberg |
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The estate was originally Church property during the Middle Ages, and passed through several owners until 1909, when Fritz Wedel Jarlsberg bought it. When Crown Prince Olav and Crown Princess Märtha were married in 1929, Wedel-Jarlsberg sold it to the couple. In 1937, Prince Harald was born on the estate.
Wedel-Jarlsberg's Swiss chalet style-residence, designed by Herman Backer and completed in 1891, burned to the ground in 1930.[3] The Norwegian architect Arnstein Arneberg was commissioned to design a new structure, entirely on the foundations of the old building. The new building was also built of stone to avoid future fires.
Second World War
During the Nazi occupation of Norway, SS-General Wilhelm Rediess resided at Skaugum for a short period; Reichskommissar Josef Terboven made the estate his official residence in June 1940.[citation needed] Shortly after Hitler's death, Terboven was dismissed from his position by Karl Dönitz and committed suicide in the manor bunker on 8 May 1945 by blowing himself up with fifty kilograms of dynamite.[4]
Residence of the heir apparent
In 1968, King Olav V gave the estate as a wedding gift to his son Crown Prince Harald (later King Harald V) and his wife Crown Princess Sonja, while the King himself relocated to the Royal Palace in Oslo. King Harald would repeat this gesture, giving the estate as a wedding gift to his son, Crown Prince Haakon, and his wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit when the couple married in 2001.[citation needed]
Unlike the Royal Palace and Oscarshall, Skaugum is owned privately by the royal family and is therefore not open to the public. Like all royal residences in Norway, the estate is protected by the Royal Guards.
Høiby affair
In 2024, Skaugum became known for the Høiby affair involving accused sex offender Marius Borg Høiby, who invited criminal friends, including members of the Hells Angels criminal gang, to what he called "Skaugum festivals" at Skaugum, where drugs were consumed. At these festivals Mette-Marit personally received Marius' criminal friends.[5][6][7] Høiby is also charged with raping women at Skaugum.[2]
Jan Bøhler wrote that "organized crime is today a greater threat to our country than terrorism, and we are allocating increasingly larger resources to combat it. At the same time, a member of the royal family has for years vacationed and partied with central figures in drug-related crime. Individuals known for involvement in serious money laundering cases and violent gangs, including the Hells Angels, have also participated in the festivities. These enemies of society have been allowed to roam freely on the Crown Prince couple's properties during events referred to as "Skaugum festivals."[8]
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The original Skaugum building prior to the fire in 1930
Aerial view of Skaugum
The royal family at Skaugum during a 1974 visit from Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Skaugum seen from the estate garden
Skaugum seen from the west
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