The trial of Marius Borg Gøby, the son of the Crown Princess of Norway, is ongoing in Norway, who is accused of rape, domestic violence and a number of other crimes. And the princess herself is mentioned in the latest published materials on the Epstein case: according to them, she corresponded with him in 2011-2014, after he pleaded guilty to forcing a minor into prostitution.
We tell you what is known about the crisis in the Norwegian royal family.
The trial of 29-year-old Marius Borg Gøby, son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, began in Oslo on February 3, 2026. He has been in custody since February 2 by court order.
At the first hearing, he pleaded not guilty to several counts of rape and domestic violence, but pleaded guilty to separate, less serious offenses.
Currently, according to the prosecution, a total of 38 charges have been brought against Goibi, including: episodes of rape, domestic violence, aggressive behavior, violation of a restraining order, possession and transportation of drugs (including marijuana), dangerous driving, and driving without a valid license.
Earlier, in August 2024, Prince Marius Gøby was arrested on charges of assaulting his girlfriend. He was then released from custody after 30 hours in solitary confinement. He was charged with assault and causing bodily harm. And in 2017, Gøby was caught using cocaine during a music festival, as a result of which he was fined 4,000 Norwegian kroner.
One of Gøby's alleged victims is his ex-girlfriend, Nora Haukland, who has publicly stated that she was in a relationship with Gøby and was subjected to psychological and physical abuse by him. She said he pushed her, hit her, and humiliated her. She said that Gøby also controlled her movements and contacts, and used intimidation to maintain power over her.
Another woman, who cannot be named for security reasons, told the court that she was sexually assaulted while living with Goibi. She said he forced her to perform sexual acts against her will and ignored her pleas to stop.
Some of the crimes, according to the prosecutor's office, were filmed on a mobile phone.
Prosecutors said Goibi will not receive any special treatment because of his background. “He will not be punished more severely or less leniently because he belongs to this family,” the lead prosecutor said.
Hoibi's lawyer, for her part, claims that her client has “already been subjected to excessive pressure from the media” and has not received the “normal treatment” to which any accused is entitled.
Crown Prince Gaakon said that he and Mette-Marit do not plan to attend the court hearing, but at the same time stated that the family supports Gøby as a member of the family.
“He is a Norwegian citizen and has the same responsibilities and the same rights as everyone else,” Gaakon said, adding that he sympathized with the alleged victims.
Gøby's mother, Mette-Marit, gave birth to Marius in 1997 with her former partner Morten Borg. The couple soon separated and she raised her son alone. In the mid-1990s, Mette-Marit met Crown Prince Gaakon at a music festival. They married in 2001.
The Norwegian royal family: King Harald V and Queen Sonja flank Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and (back left to right) Marit Tjessem (mother of Crown Princess Mette-Marit), Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Crown Prince Gaakon, Prince Sverre Magnus and Marius Borg Gøby, June 17, 2022, Oslo, Norway. Getty Images/AFP/NTB/LISE ASERUD
Prince Gaakon is next in line to the throne and will be the next King of Norway. Marius himself is the adopted son of the Crown Prince and does not participate in the succession to the throne.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit's contacts with Epstein
The trial of the crown princess's son is taking place against the backdrop of a separate scandal that has been weighing on the Norwegian monarchy for several weeks.
Earlier this year, documents released by the US Department of Justice revealed that Mette-Marit had maintained contact with Jeffrey Epstein after his conviction in 2008. According to the documents, the Crown Princess and Jeffrey Epstein had exchanged emails in June 2014. One email, sent on behalf of “HKH Kronprinsessen”, said that “Tuesday might be a good time to meet”, while Epstein had previously asked if he could see her in New York.
The Crown Princess also had a previous relationship with Epstein, calling him “soft-hearted” and “so sweet” in her letters.
In 2012, Mette-Marit wrote to Epstein that he was “very charming” and wondered if it was “inappropriate for a mother to offer an image of two naked women with a surfboard as wallpaper for her 15-year-old son.”
This data contradicts the previous official position of the Palace, which for several years claimed that contact between them had ceased in 2013. After the publication of the correspondence files, the Palace clarified that the last written contact took place in January 2014, acknowledging that they had previously made an error in the chronology.
After that, the Crown Princess made an address in which she apologized to the King and Queen for her contacts with Epstein, and also expressed her condolences to all the victims.
Amid the scandal, the Norwegian organization Rådet for psyskik helse (Council for Mental Health), where Mette-Marit was an honorary patron, announced a temporary suspension of cooperation with the Crown Princess.
The organization's Secretary General, Tove Gundersen, stated in a comment to NRK that no events or joint projects with the Crown Princess are planned in 2026, emphasizing the importance of a clear position on sexual violence and human trafficking.
The Crown Princess was also criticized by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Sture: “The Crown Princess showed poor judgment,” he said.
A poll was conducted on whether Princess Mette-Marit should become the next Queen of Norway. 44-47% said “no” and only 29-33% said “yes”, with all others abstaining. The poll included 1,014 respondents.
Amid the scandal, the Norwegian parliament held a vote on February 3 to preserve the monarchy. 141 deputies voted to preserve the current form of government, while 26 voted to establish a republic.
According to the survey The poll, conducted on February 2 among 1,014 respondents by the Norwegian daily newspaper Verdens Gang, found that 61% of Norwegians surveyed favor maintaining the monarchy (compared to 72% last year), while support for a republican form of government has risen to 27% (compared to 10% last year).
When asked whether Mette-Marit should become the next Queen of Norway, 44% of those surveyed said “no”, 33% said “yes”.
The British Royal Family and the Epstein Case
Meanwhile, a new wave of discussions surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein case has erupted in the UK after the publication of another batch of documents from the US Department of Justice. The materials, in particular, contain photographs and correspondence that, according to media reports, may indicate Epstein's long-standing contacts with representatives of the British establishment.
Prince Andrew, the brother of King Charles III, has once again attracted particular attention in this context. He has been associated with the Epstein case for several years. Newly released materials contain references that may confirm his contacts with the financier even after Epstein was already convicted in the United States. In addition, information has emerged about a new potential victim who is considering filing a civil lawsuit against Andrew, claiming that she had intimate contact with him in the United Kingdom with Epstein's assistance.
Prince Andrew had previously been at the center of an international scandal over Virginia Giuffre's lawsuit, which was settled out of court without a plea bargain in 2022. Against the backdrop of these allegations, he was stripped of his military ranks, honorary titles, and effectively removed from all royal duties, finally withdrawing from the public life of the royal family.
Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, attends the royal family's Christmas Day service at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate in eastern England December 25, 2022. REUTERS/Toby Melville
On February 9, a Kensington Palace spokesman told reporters that Prince William and Princess Catherine were closely monitoring the new revelations, the couple's first public response to the scandal that has plagued the British monarchy for several years.
The Jeffrey Epstein case
Jeffrey Epstein had close contacts with representatives of the highest circles of American politics and show business. The billionaire was suspected for years of sex trafficking of minors, but he managed to avoid charges.
In 2005, he was charged with hiring several teenage girls to his Florida home for massages and sexually abusing them. Dozens of other underage girls have since come forward to accuse Epstein of sexual assault. However, prosecutors eventually allowed the financier to take a plea deal, and in 2008 he pleaded guilty to a charge involving just one victim.
Thus, Epstein avoided federal charges that could have carried a life sentence, and instead received an 18-month prison sentence. He was released after 13 months of his sentence. Epstein's assets were not confiscated. After his sentence, he began to reconnect with his influential acquaintances, with the help of his ex-partner Ghislaine Maxwell.
However, law enforcement did not remove Epstein from the New York City Sex Offender Registry, a level three designation that indicates a high risk that the convicted person will reoffend.
In July 2019, the investigation against Epstein was resumed and he was arrested in New York, and after a series of searches hundreds of sexually explicit photos of partially or fully nude women were found. 2 days later he was charged with human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. He has been in custody since then. In the same year, Prince Andrew temporarily stepped down from his royal duties and stopped appearing in public.
On August 10, 2019, Epstein was found dead in his cell. The official cause of death is considered suicide. Two prison officers who were supposed to guard Epstein that night admitted that they slept and browsed the Internet during their shift, even though they were supposed to check the financier's cell every 30 minutes. They admitted to giving false testimony and made a deal with prosecutors.
Epstein's friend and assistant, Gileane Maxwell, was arrested in the summer of 2020. According to the investigation, she was Epstein's accomplice: she sought out girls under the age of 18, instilled in them confidence and persuaded them to have sexual contact with the financier. On December 29, 2021, a New York court found Gileane Maxwell guilty of helping Epstein commit sexual abuse of underage girls.
On November 12, 2025, the U.S. House Oversight Committee released 20,000 pages of private correspondence from the late Jeffrey Epstein. The letters mention U.S. President Donald Trump. In particular, Epstein notes that the American leader spent several hours with one of the victims of human trafficking at his home in April 2011.
The White House said the emails released by the committee were “fake” and “an attempt to discredit President Trump.” White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt said Donald Trump “kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club” and “was not involved in Epstein's crimes.”
On November 17, Trump called on House Republicans to vote to release the “Epstein files” to “get away from this Democrat hoax.” The House passed the measure the next day, and Trump signed a bill requiring the Justice Department to release all unclassified documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
On January 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice released over 3 million additional pages of documents in the Jeffrey Epstein case, including over 2,000 videos and 180,000 images.