2024 has been a rather tumultuous year for the Norwegian Royal Family. The future King and Queen of Norway, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon, were forced to deal with an extremely public scandal when Mette-Marit's son, Marius Borg Høiby, was arrested on three separate occasions. Now, the future Queen of Norway has responded to her son's arrests and the accusations against him.
In October, Borg Høiby was banned from the royal residence after being arrested for allegedly burglarizing the property. In November, Borg Høiby was arrested on suspicion of rape, per Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten. It was his third arrest in as many months.
"If I had to choose one word for this year, it would be 'challenging,'" Mette-Marit told NRK (via the Daily Mail). "It has been a demanding year and a demanding autumn for us."
Mette-Marit welcomed her son, Borg Høiby, in a previous relationship, before marrying Crown Prince Haakon. As such, Borg Høiby doesn't hold an official royal title or carry out any duties on behalf of the Norwegian Royal Family. However, his proximity to the future King and Queen has caused uproar in Norway.
Royal commentator for Norway's TV2, Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen, previously discussed the impact Borg Høiby's scandals have had on the Norwegian Royal Family and the general public. "According to surveys, the Norwegian public has voiced a diminishing trust in the monarchy due to the scandals and controversies that have rocked the institution the past year," he told Marie Claire earlier this year. While the arrests have been troubling, Schulsrud-Hansen suggested that the public will still support the future King and Queen. "The public seems to have a deal of sympathy for the Crown Princess at this time," he explained.
The broadcaster further explained, "The Høiby case has evolved into the extreme from what it was when he was first arrested in August, and a comment from the Royal Family at that time could have done more bad than good."
