Marius Borg Hoiby: The Eventful Life of Mette-Marit’s Son

Before and behind the Norwegian palace walls – Marius Borg Hoiby lives a life between two worlds. It started in 2001 when the heir to the throne married his mother. When Mette-Marit became crown princess, her four-year-old son Marius was without title, without royal burdens, and without duties. He became part of a royal blended family, but not part of the Norwegian royal family.

He soon became the darling of the country, but now came the deep fall: Marius Borg Hoiby assaulted his girlfriend and was subsequently arrested. The police are going to interrogate him this week and file a report. The 27-year-old has already publicly apologized for his assault, admitted to using cocaine and revealed he has “numerous mental disorders”. But how did it get to the point where the royal darling became a problem child?

Marius was born on January 13, 1997 in Oslo to then-student Mette-Marit Djessum Hoiby and financial analyst Morten Borg. When he was born, the couple had already separated. According to Norwegian media, their relationship was tumultuous, involving drug tests and several years later Morton was accused of possessing cocaine. Despite the separation of his parents, the relationship between Marius and his father is considered very close.

When Marius was seven, Morton married interior designer Celine Magdaby. Her stepmother brought a son to the marriage, and together with Marius’ father she had a son named Lucas. As is well known, his mother also remarried – the heir to the throne of Norway. In 1999, Mette-Marit met Hagon at a music festival. It suddenly changed the lives of the now 51-year-old and his son. Suddenly, Marius found himself in the spotlight, surrounded by photographers, and in December 2000, at the age of three, he officially posed for the annual Christmas photos with the royal family for the first time.

In 2001, Mette-Marit and Haakon got married – a turning point in Marius’ life. He holds a special position at the Norwegian court. Unlike his siblings Ingrid Alexander and Sverre Magnus, Marius did not have a title and was ineligible for succession to the throne. Nevertheless, he lives a royal life and moves with his mother to Skowkam Castle. The heir to the throne becomes a second father, but Haakon never adopted the now 27-year-old.

According to the royal family’s website, Marius attended a sports high school and completed an internship at a luxury car dealership. He studied economics in the US for a few months, appeared as an extra in a Norwegian series and launched his own leather jacket label, MBH. He also reportedly completed an internship at Philipp Plein in Milan. In his spare time, he is a sports fan and enjoys skiing and surfing.

Ari Ben, the ex-husband of Haakon’s sister Princess Martha Louise, committed suicide in 2019, reportedly putting Marius through a crisis. Photos of the funeral also show this. The two are said to have had a close relationship. Ari has no title and is not an official member of the royal family.

Marius struggled with his image for a long time. Although all doors were open to him, unlike his siblings, he had no obligation to the crown, and he always had to pay attention to the reputation of the royal family. A balancing act that Crown Princess Mette-Marit addressed in a public letter on Marius’ 20th birthday. In it he made it clear: Marius did not want to live a public life. His profile has been removed from the government website. His transformation became more and more visible on social networks: tattoos, party photos, pictures of the middle finger, changing guys on his hands.

Although Marius likes to live away from the public eye, he always appears with women who attract attention. Be it lingerie model Julianne or reality TV star Nora Hackland. It always made headlines in Norway.

According to Norwegian media, the 27-year-old’s escape was known behind palace walls and was blindly tolerated. After recent incidents of violence against his ex-girlfriends, drugs and theft, the royal family can no longer remain silent.

On Monday, Crown Prince Haakon spoke to reporters about the scandal: “This is a serious matter. So we know about what Marius told us, and we know about some of these issues. He added: “It is currently a case before the court and is being handled by the police.” Marius agrees, but the future queen’s son faces years in prison.