The 29-year-old, wearing black glasses, a brown sweater and gray-beige pants, was present at Oslo District Court with his two defense lawyers, but has invoked his right not to be photographed in the courtroom.
Marius Borg Høiby is on trial for a total of 38 charges, including four counts of rape, assault in a close relationship, violation of a woman's privacy, vandalism, violence, violation of a restraining order, death threats, serious drug offenses and traffic offenses.
The defendant stood for 24 minutes while State Prosecutor Sturla Henriksbø read out the charges against him. The prosecutor began with the charges of four rapes.
Borg Høiby denies these - as well as allegations of violence in a close relationship. He spoke very softly, sometimes so quietly that those present had difficulty understanding what he was saying. Several times he did not respond when addressed but instead shook his head.
Invited to Skaugum
When the first plaintiff was heard in court, only a few journalists were allowed to listen from another room. There was also a ban on taking notes on certain information that may be considered sensitive. Høiby also listened from another room during the woman's testimony.
The rape in question allegedly took place at the Crown Prince and Princess's estate in Skaugum in December 2018, after Høiby met the victim and two other women at a nightclub in Oslo and then went to Skaugum for an after-party.
Earlier in the evening, Høiby and the woman reportedly engaged in consensual sex, which the plaintiff interrupted after a short while. The woman says that everything went "black" later during the after-party at Skaugum.
"I've never experienced that before," she says.
The court does not want to comment.
Police later found videos on Marius Borg Høiby's devices that allegedly show him touching the woman's genitals while she was lying on a couch. It was only during questioning by the police that she saw the videos and realized what had happened.
The newspaper VG has been in contact with the royal family regarding a rape that allegedly took place in or near the Crown Prince and Crown Princess's residence. They declined to answer the newspaper's questions or comment on whether Haakon and Mette-Marit were at home at the time.
After the proceedings concluded for the day, Høiby's defense lawyers Ellen Holager Andenæs and Petar Sekulic told the assembled press that their client experienced the situation as "difficult" and that he was "clearly affected."
"Both because the case is serious, and because of the massive press coverage."
Marius will testify
Petar Sekulic also said they were considering appealing the four-week detention of Marius Borg Høiby. On Monday evening, Høiby was in hospital, where he was reportedly examined by doctors.
The next day, the Skaugum woman's testimony was to continue and Marius Borg Høiby was also due to give his account of the events.
