Crown Prince Haakon of Norway Speaks Out on Stepson's Arrest for First Time: 'It Is a Serious Matter'

Mar. 15, 2025

Crown Prince Haakon and Marius Borg

Lise Aserud/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock: HAKON MOSVOLD LARSEN/NTB/AFP/Getty

On Aug. 6, Crown Prince Haakon, 51, addressed the Norwegian press for the first time following Marius' reportedarrest in Osloover the weekend, allegedly connected to an incident involving a woman in her 20s. Marius, 27, isCrown Princess Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship before she married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001.

“It is a serious matter when the police are involved in the way they are, but at the same time, it is not right for me to go into the details of the case,” Crown Prince Haakon told reporters, according to theDaily Express.

The royal was in Paris for theSummer Olympics, and he added that Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 50, stayed home despite beingoriginally scheduled to join him in France.

“In our family, as in all families, it is sometimes important to be there. This time it was me who went while she stayed at home,” Crown Prince Haakon said, according to the outlet.

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway attends the Paris Olympics on Aug. 6, 2024.Rolf Vennenbernd/picture alliance/Getty

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway

Rolf Vennenbernd/picture alliance/Getty

While Crown Princess Mette-Marit hasn’t been photographed at the Olympics yet, Norwegian outletSe og Hørreported on Aug. 6 that she still hopes to go.

Se og Hørreported that Marius was arrested and detained for 30 hours on Aug. 4 after being accused that he had “attacked” a woman at an apartment building in Oslo. The woman was reportedly treated at a hospital for a concussion, according to the outlet.

Marius Borg

LISE ASERUD/NTB/AFP/Getty

On Aug. 7, theAssociated Pressreported that Marius faces preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage, citing the Oslo police.

Police added there was “a relationship between the suspect and the victim” but said they “currently do not have information that the victim has suffered serious injuries,” the AP reported.

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, King Harald, Queen Sonja, Marius Borg Hoiby, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince Sverre Magnus, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit attend the celebrations of Princess Ingrid Alexandr

Rune Hellestad/Getty

Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s eldest son is not in the line of succession to the throne anddoesn’t have a public role. In 2017, a few days before his 20th birthday, the Royal House of Norway announced that he wasleaving public lifeand enrolling in college in California.

After the news was announced, Mette-Marit penned anopen letterasking the press to respect his decision.

“Marius has always had a role that has been difficult to define in the public sphere. He is and will be an exceptionally important part of our family. Marius became a symbol of the unusual choice we made when we got married, at the same time, he will not carry public duties like his siblings,” she wrote in 2020. “He should not have a public role and is not a public figure.”

Norway’s Princess Ingrid Alexandra (front C) poses for a family photo with (front L and R) Norway’s King Harald V and Norway’s Queen Sonja and (back LtoR) Marit Tjessem, Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon, Norway’s Prince Sverre Magnus and Marius Borg Hoiby on the occasion of a gala dinner for her 18th birthday in Oslo on June 17, 2022. Princess Ingrid Alexandra turned 18 on January 21, 2022.

LISE ASERUD/NTB/AFP via Getty

Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon are also parents toPrincess Ingrid Alexandra, 20, who follows her father in the line of succession to the throne, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 18.

Marius joined the royals at his sister’sbanner birthday celebrationswhen she turned 18 in 2022.

source: people.com