A remarkable audio recording of a “conversation” between Norwegian police and Marius Borg Høiby, son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, confirms the trouble he was in long before he was first arrested last fall. Police confronted and warned him more than two years ago about his drug use, alleged criminal contacts and the security risks that raised for Norway’s entire royal family.

The recording was publicly released this week by two attorneys for Høiby, who will go on trial himself early next year following a 32-count indictment for rape, violence, vandalism and making threats. Even though the recording reveals police concerns and warnings about Høiby’s cocaine use, suspected drug dealing and exposure to organized crime, Høiby’s attorneys believed it would help them legally bash a new book on their now 28-year-old client. They were in court in Oslo on Tuesday, trying to get the book taken off the market.

Lawyers for Marius Borg Høiby are trying to stop sales of this book about his involvement with cocaine. PHOTO: Aschehoug

The book is entitled Hvite striper, sorte får (White stripes, black sheep), and it ties Høiby to what its authors and publishing firm Aschehoug call some of Europe’s “most notorious drug gangs.” Aschehoug claims in its promotion of the book that it was “an open secret” within the police that the crown princess’ son and his friends have had close contact with criminals. The book was written by Øistein Monsen and Torgeir Pedersen Krokfjord, both of whom are described as “experienced investigative journalists.” Aschehoug editor Live Fedog Thorsen told newspaper Aftenposten that both she and the authors are confident in their sources of information: “We think it’s in the public’s interest to reveal how close criminal networks have come to one of the royal family’s members.”

Høiby and his attorneys, however, claim the book contains several errors. They presented the recording of the conversation between Høiby and police (reportedly taken up by Høiby himself) as evidence that police did not see him actually selling cocaine on the main boulevard through downtown Oslo, Karl Johans Gate. Oslo Police Chief Ida Melbo Øystese was called in to testify on Tuesday and said “we have not seen that he sold narcotics on Karl Johan.” She refused, however, to answer questions from publisher Aschehoug’s attorney about whether police had any other information that Høiby sold drugs, or whether he’d been seen selling cocaine in any other area of downtown Oslo. Øystese said she was subject to terms of confidentiality that prevented her from answering.

Aschehoug had given Høiby and his lawyers a chance to read all parts of the book where he’s mentioned and respond prior to its publication. The publisher defended the authors’ use of sources and already has corrected errors in the first edition.

Høiby’s attempt to have the book banned has sparked protests from other publishers and a former government minister, Trine Skei Grande, all of whom consider it a threat to Norway’s democracy. Grande stressed how unusual it is for state officials or a court to be asked to hinder a book’s publication: “The last times were in the 1950s and 1960s,” she wrote in a column in newspaper Aftenposten this week. “Today we view those cases as embarrassing chapters in Norwegian legal history.” A court decision on the requested book ban is due next week.

Marius Borg Høiby (second from right) is the eldest of Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s three children, born in 1997 to her and his father Morten Borg before she met and later married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001. Høiby thus has no royal title but has long been part of the royal family assembled here on the occasion of his half-sister Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s 18th birthday in January 2022. From left: Queen Sonja, Høiby’s half-brother Prince Sverre Magnus, King Harald. At far right, Høiby’s maternal grandmother Marit Tjessem. PHOTO: Det kongelige hoff/Kimm Saatvedt

The 15-minute long audio recording that Høiby’s lawyers released, meanwhile, was published in its entirety on Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) this week. It leaves little doubt about what officers from the Oslo police department’s organized crime unit already knew or suspected about Høiby, nearly a year before he was arrested in August 2024 after a drug-induced rampage in a girlfriend’s apartment.

The recording begins with the police officers’ morning arrival in September 2023 at the house where Høiby lived on the grounds of the crown couple’s royal estate at Skaugum, west of Oslo. The officers came to have what they called a bekymringssamtalen, literally, a conversation expressing their concerns to Høiby about his activities. The identities of the police officers are bleeped out on the recording, and the voice of one of them was altered for security reasons. Their message, though, was clear.

“We have been out on the job and we have seen you,” one of them told Høiby, followed up by: “We have seen that you’re struggling with something, cocaine.” They added that there were “several reasons” they became involved in his case and came to talk to him about their concerns:

“Number one, cocaine is illegal, regardless of which family you’re in. Number two, we’ve seen you with various players who are interesting for us (in the police unit investigating organized crime) who we know sell narcotics, and not only a little, but on a large scale. It’s a big problem if you get involved in that.”

Marius Borg Høiby told police more than two years ago that he appreciated their concern over his cocaine use, but insisted he was “dealing with it” himself. PHOTO: Wikipedia

Høiby replied that he had seen the undercover police officers, too, noting how he’d had plain-clothed police “following me all my life” and knew how to recognize them. He quickly claimed that he appreciated their concern, “absolutely,” but added that he couldn’t understand why they were “bothering” to talk with him. He claimed he was “dealing with it” (his cocaine use) himself and “handling it … in my own way.”

The police officers responded that there were “several reasons” for their concern: “Number one, cocaine is illegal, regardless of which family you’re in. Number two, we’ve seen you with various players who are interesting for us, who we know sell narcotics and not only that, but on a large scale.” Høiby interrupted on several occasions, claiming “I don’t know anything about” the allegedly large scale narcotics trade that police believed was going on. They were clearly warning Høiby about the company he was keeping.

“It’s a big problem if you get involved (with organized crime),” one of the undercover cops is heard saying. They were also concerned about the sheer quantities of cocaine involved, that they “weren’t just for his own use.” Høiby denied, with “hand on my heart,” that he was involved in any implied sales of cocaine or other narcotics. He also claimed he had “no problem with money.” Høiby’s source of income is unclear, since he has no known job. His stepfather Crown Prince Haakon told reporters on Wednesday that he was not paying for Høiby’s attorneys.

The police went on to warn Høiby about “what could happen while you’re ruset” (under the influence of drugs or alcohol). “We have a clear impression that you have a problem,” they told him, and that he lacked control. “That depends on who you ask,” countered Høiby.

“We’re not here to psychoanalyze you,” he was told on two occasions, while also being questioned repeatedly about what kind of help he was getting. Høiby said he’d been off on “a little holiday at Gaustad” (a mental health hospital in Oslo), calling that “the start” of some drug treatment, “and then I’ll take off for Marbella, to a small place, to ordner opp (make things right).”

“So you’re getting help? What you need?” the police asked.

“Yeah,” Høiby responded, “I have people who support me and are alright.”

“That’s important,” the police responded, adding that “it’s not just us who are out there and see (what he’s doing).” They warned Høiby that he’s part of “a well-known family,” suggesting he risked exposing them to unwelcome publicity.

Then the police returned to the sheer quantities of narcotics with which Høiby had been associated, and their concerns that it was more than he could consume himself. Høiby reacted quickly, once again denying involvement in any implicit sales of cocaine.

The police went on to stress that even though he has a “well-known family … everyone is born equal,” suggesting he’d be treated like anyone else if he got into legal trouble. At a later point, though, the police seemed to instead be giving him special treatment, since he’s a son of Norway’s crown princess, part of the royal family and thus has ties to Norway’s entire power structure. When Høiby commented that he still couldn’t understand why he was “sitting in a car with police from the organized crime unit,” one of the police officers responded:

“Because you are who you are. There’s no one else we would have taken the trouble to meet like this.” Høiby was told that his case had gone “way up to the top” within the police, also indicating that others who cared for him were involved.

Høiby claimed he would “never put my family” into a difficult situation, although that’s what’s happened since. There’s no question the police tried to warn Høiby of the consequences of his drug use and acquaintances, and even gave him a scolding of sorts: “You’re using your best years to put things up your nose,” one of the officers told him at one point, adding that “you are so privileged, you have all kinds of possibilities,” to which Høiby agreed. They urged him to use those privileges and possibilities “for something other than coca.”

At that point, Høiby seemed most curious about who may have talked about him to police, claiming his friends are “loyal” and he didn’t want to cut any of them off. He was told “we won’t specify where we get our information,” rather that “we’re here to reach out a hand if you need help.”

Otherwise, he was warned, he could be arrested “and there’d be all kinds of headlines,” which is what happened 11 months later. They called their entire exchange with Høiby “a friendly warning, not a threat, but a warning.”

Høiby claimed to have understood that, adding “I have control.” He has since been arrested three times and faces a lengthy trial due to begin in February.

NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund