A period of mourning for the Norwegian Royal Family has turned into a target of public backlash because of the presence of the new King’s stepson, Marius Borg Høiby, 29.
On Friday, August 28, 2026, Norway’s King Harald V passed away at the age of 89, after reigning for 35 years.
His son Haakon VIII took the Oath of Allegiance as the new monarch on September 1, a week before royalty and dignitaries from around the world gathered at Oslo Cathedral for the late king’s funeral.
Among the attendees was Høiby, who is currently under house arrest after receiving a four-year prison sentence for multiple serious crimes, including domestic violence.
His presence infuriated Norwegian residents as well as the internet at large, and, according to video footage from the funeral, his own family too.
The Norwegian Queen Dowager seemingly “snubbed” her step-grandson, Marius Høiby
Høiby was only four years old when Haakon married his mother, Mette-Marit, in August 2001 after meeting through mutual friends at a garden party.
Although he holds no royal titles or duties, he had been close with the family, including his two half-siblings, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus.
However, while attending his step-grandfather’s September 9 funeral, Høiby reportedly sat in the row behind his immediate family.
He later appeared to be ignored by Harald’s wife, the Queen Dowager Sonja.
According to videos that surfaced from the ceremony, Sonja hugged each of her daughter Martha Louise’s children, with whom Høiby was sitting, but started a conversation with the Bishop of Oslo, Sunniva Glyver, when his turn came.
Eagle-eyed netizens were quick to speculate if Sonja deliberately shunned Høiby because of his criminal scandal. It is unclear if the two shared a greeting off camera.
“Acted like he wasn’t even there. Some of the other Royal ladies were giving the little brat the nastiest of side eyes during the ceremony,” one person said.
Another commented, “What a change from the days when she was playing with him during the royal family’s Christmas photoshoot.”
The Bishop of Oslo also looked upset over Høiby’s presence, netizens said
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Queen Sonja was not the only one who viewers thought looked unhappy with Marius Borg Høiby’s presence.
Another video showed Bishop Gluver with a stern expression as she shook hands with the offender on the cathedral steps before the service.
“Good, about time someone shows him the disrespect he deserves,” one user reacted to the exchange. Another wrote, “What a disgrace he was allowed to show up. The Royal Family should be ashamed.”
Høiby previously joined his relatives in carrying Harald’s coffin from the Royal Palace to the chapel, sparking a huge public backlash.
“Marius carrying the coffin is horrible. He should have stayed in. Him getting out is a spit in the face of his victims,” one said. Another commented, “Gosh, here I thought Norway cared about female victims. How monstrous.”
Many called Haakon a “spineless enabler” for allegedly failing to hold his son accountable.
Some brought up Queen Mette-Marit’s close ties with convicted felon Jeffrey Epstein, as revealed in the documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice in January 2026.
“I feel so manipulated, and when you are manipulated, you don’t realize it from the start,” Mette-Marit told Norwegian media at the time, adding that she wished she had never met him.
Marius Høiby was found guilty of 34 criminal offenses, including two counts of violation
Marius Høiby’s legal troubles first started in 2017, when he was fined 4,000 Norwegian kroner after being caught with illegal substances at the Palmesus festival in Kristiansand.
Throughout 2024, he was arrested and released several times in connection with allegations of violence, substance use, and breaches of a restraining order.
In November 2024, he was arrested on allegations of bodily harm and criminal damage to his then-girlfriend. Claims that he received preferential treatment because of his family ties surfaced around this time.
The investigation widened in 2025 as his ex-girlfriend, influencer Nora Haukland, and other former partners and acquaintances came forward with more allegations of s**ual violence, including violation of four women while they were asleep or otherwise unable to resist.
Early next year, Høiby was arrested again over new allegations of bodily harm, threatening someone with a knife, and violating another restraining order.
By the time his trial started in February 2026, he was facing at least 40 different criminal charges, including four counts of r**e. Prosecutors claimed that some of the instances of alleged s**ual a**aults were recorded on his phone.
Høiby denied the r**e allegations but admitted several lesser offenses.
In June, Oslo District Court found him guilty of 34 of the 40 charges, including two counts of r**e and one of domestic violence against an intimate partner, and sentenced him to four years in prison.
Høiby has appealed the conviction, making his prison conviction legally non-binding while he awaits a full retrial. In the meantime, he has remained under house arrest with electronic ankle-bracelet monitoring at Skaugum, his mother’s royal residence, and will reportedly be so until October 5.
“Norway has its own version of Prince Andrew,” one netizen said
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