Marius Borg Høiby arrest notification and royal palace disclosure case, Digi Mart USA News (Norway): According to a decision by Norway’s Special Investigation Unit (Spesialenheten), Crown Prince Haakon, then Norway’s crown prince, called a member of the Royal Guard, part of the Police Security Service (PST), at 3:29 p.m. on Sunday, August 4, 2024.
The call came after Marius Borg Høiby, the stepson of the crown prince, had assaulted the so-called Frogner woman at her home the previous night. He has admitted this.
The decision states that the crown prince said “the police will arrest Marius” and asked whether Høiby could report himself to the police. The officer was reportedly surprised that the crown prince knew of the planned arrest, as PST had been careful not to inform anyone about it.
Police confirmed that Høiby could turn himself in, and the officer called back ten minutes later with the answer.
According to the document, police received the report of the violent incident at 12:32 p.m. and decided at 1:40 p.m.
to arrest Høiby and conduct a search. However, at 1:04 p.m., a PST officer had already informed the palace’s communications director that Høiby had been violent toward a former girlfriend.
At that time, the officer did not know of the arrest decision, according to the Special Investigation Unit.
The palace chief was informed and sent a text message to the crown prince couple. At 2:59 p.m., the palace chief called them to discuss the situation.
Three minutes later, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Justice called, according to the decision. The palace chief could not recall the permanent secretary directly saying Høiby would be arrested, but understood at the time that Høiby would likely be detained.
The document also describes wider internal notification. The permanent secretary received an email and text message at 2:46 p.m.
about the planned arrest, and a person from the Prime Minister’s Office called her while she was at Gardermoen airport, saying many people now knew about the arrest. The Ministry of Justice confirmed contact with the palace but said it did not notify the palace or other external parties about the arrest.
The Special Investigation Unit concluded that the officer’s disclosure to the palace did not breach confidentiality, because it was justified by security concerns, specifically the palace’s awareness that Høiby associated with people in serious criminal circles. The case has therefore been closed.
The decision does not establish who ensured the crown prince couple learned that the arrest would actually take place.
Høiby was sentenced earlier this year to four years in prison. He has appealed the convictions for two rapes and abuse in close relationships, but not the matters concerning the Frogner woman.
The appeal begins February 9.
