Son of Norway's crown princess gives tearful testimony in rape trial
· Toronto Sun
The son of Norway’s crown princess cried in court as he testified in his rape trial on Wednesday.
Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, the eldest son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson to Crown Prince Haakon, is accused of rape and more than 30 other offences.
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Testifying on the witness stand on Wednesday, Hoiby reportedly broke down in tears, pausing several times to remove his glasses to wipe his eyes.
“It is very difficult for me to speak in front of so many people,” Sky News reported.
“I have been surrounded by the press since I was three. I have been harassed ever since.”
He told court: “I have an extreme need for affirmation. A lot of sex, a lot of alcohol. Few can relate to the life I have led. A lot of parties, alcohol, some drugs.”
Accused pleaded guilty to lesser charges
Hoilby has pleaded not guilty to the most serious charges of rape and domestic violence, but acknowledged partial guilt — a plea allowed under Norwegian law — for aggravated assault and reckless behaviour.
He also admitted to some lesser charges, including driving too fast.
Among his more serious charges are one count of rape with sexual intercourse and three counts of rape without intercourse.
His testimony focused on a 2018 “after-party” held in the crown prince’s family residence just outside of Oslo, where prosecutors say Hoiby filmed himself performing a sex act on an unconscious woman shortly after they had consensual sex
Hoilby denied the prosecution’s allegation that he filmed some of the sexual acts involving one of alleged victim on his cellphone.
He testified that he had sex with the woman, but didn’t perform a second sex act with her while she was unconscious, and denied filming it.
“If I had thought I had material that showed an assault, I would never have kept that material,” he said.
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Video taken at ‘after-party’ shown in court
The video obtained by police was shown in court behind closed doors on Tuesday.
Earlier on Wednesday, the alleged unidentified victim testified that she found out about the alleged rape when police contacted her about the video several years later.
She said she believed “100%” that she had been drugged while attending the party.
Hoiby was born four years before his mother, Mette-Marit, wed Prince Haakon. He is not a member of the royal family.
His trial has drawn increased media attention after it was revealed that Mette-Marit had exchanged hundreds of messages with the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein .