Feb. 22, 2026

"I Am a Father, Plain and Simple" - The week in Norwegian royal news with Mark Francis

"I Am a Father, Plain and Simple" - The week in Norwegian royal news with Mark Francis

Father of victim testifies: "Anger. A lot of anger from me toward Marius Borg Høiby. I am a father, plain and simple. It is biology — we are born with a protective instinct." Daughter told him she met "the prince," then police showed her videos: "She was in shock." Hotel victim testimony: 27 videos recovered, "He would never finish. He wouldn't stop. I was afraid." Videos stored at Royal Palace address Slottsplassen 1.

Høiby activated Private Photo Vault subscription 2 hours after alleged assault. Høiby confirms filming 27 videos: "I simply like recording sexual encounters, watch material later instead of pornography." Claims woman was aware despite not asking permission. Sleep researcher: pulse data "compatible with her initially being asleep, unable to resist." Nora Haukland emotional testimony: choking, slapping, "black out." "I feel Marius has two faces. One very sweet and charming, one determined and angry." Video shows security guard saw choking. Høiby: "Yes, that's fine." Haukland: "I really wanted to save him. I feel very sorry for him."

Mette-Marit's German reputation "completely destroyed." Crown Princess alone at Skaugum while family at Olympics. Defence attacks police arrest operation. Opinion piece: media pressure could justify reduced sentence. Theatre play "The Son" in development.

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Royal Books:

William and Catherine: The Monarchy's New Era: The Inside Story

The Royal Insider: My Life with the Queen, the King and Princess Diana

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Ah Calorogus Shark media at low and Welcome to Crown

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and Controversy Norway. This is the weekly addition clearly summarize

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what happened in the past week. If you'd like to

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see what happened each day, please check out the daily additions.

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The trial against Marius Borghoeibi brought one of the most

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emotionally changed moments so far, as the father of one

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of the alleged victims took the stand in Oslo District

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Court and came face to face with a man accused

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of attacking his daughter. Observers in the courtroom described a

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visibly affected witness who repeatedly looked directly at Weby. While

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recounting the moment, he learned that his daughter had been

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named as an injured party in the case. He summed

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the feeling up in stark words, anger, a lot of

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anger from me toward Marius Borghoebi. He told the court

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that when she first met Weiby over Easter twenty twenty four,

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she had described the evening as pleasant and said she

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had met the Prince, the nickname she used for him

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at the time. But days later, after being called in

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for police questioning and showing the videos investigators had found,

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her tone changed completely. She called me like she often does,

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but now it was more serious. I understood something had happened.

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She was in shock. When asked by the prosecutor why

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he felt that anger, he answered in one of the

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most direct lines of the day, I am a father,

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plain and simple. It is biology. We are born with

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a protective instinct that as civilized people we managed to

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hold in check. If Marius becomes a father one day,

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he will probably feel the same toward his own children.

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The court heard detailed testimony about the impact the cases

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had on the complainant's life. The father said she has

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spent long periods living at home with him and struggling

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with sleep. She wakes very easily. She becomes afraid, exhausted,

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and cries a lot. He described the moment the indictment

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became public as a new trauma. Her name and address

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were laid out in the indictment. It did not take

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long before this was known to everyone. She received friend

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requests from strangers. She saw unknown men with cameras outside

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her apartment. It was painful for her. She was properly traumatized.

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The woman who prosecutors say was assaulted at a Foraunham

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apartment hotel in Oslo in November twenty twenty four, described

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a knight that began with what she called a firtatious

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atmosphere and ended, in her words, in fear, confusion, and panic.

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She told the court she had been open to consensual

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sex and that they did have sex shortly after arriving,

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but that she quickly became exhausted and told him she

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wanted to sleep. She said she woke repeatedly to what

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she believed was in touching her while she slept. At

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one point, she told the court she felt what she

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described as a blow to her genitals, woke up and

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saw what she believed was a camera flash before he

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lowered his phone. Asked how she felt, she answered, very uncomfortable.

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I was afraid. When the prosecutor asked whether she believed

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he had heard it say she wanted to sleep, she replied,

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he heard it. He would never finish, he wouldn't stop,

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she said. The court was told that investigators had recovered

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twenty seven videos and four still images connected to the

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hotel incident. According to the execution, some show her apparently

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awake from participating, while others show her lying motionless. The

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woman told the court she had believed at most a

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couple of recordings existed and went into shock when she

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saw how many there were. During her police interview, investigators

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presented evidence that less than two hours after the alleged assault,

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Webee activated a premium subscription to the file hiding application

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Private Photo Vault. The purchase was confirmed by an email

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from Apple, and by ten or two that same morning,

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eight files had been moved into the password protected app.

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The electronic receipt for the subscription listed the billing address

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as slotsplasm Ion the Royal Palace. Defense lawyer Peter Secular responded,

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I can't say much about that. I wonder if it

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appears automatically when he enters his name, but I'm not certain.

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Defense lawyer Allen Holliger and Deis added, I understand he

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was told that all posts and similar correspondents should go there,

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so I don't think there is anything particularly unusual about it.

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From his side, Hoiby took the stand and gave his

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own detailed account of the hotel encounter. He told the

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court he had been avoiding public nightlife at the time

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because he felt like Norway's most hated man, but ended

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up at the after party anyway, where he confirmed there

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was alcohol, cocaine and drinking games. Hoiby confirmed that he

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was the person who filmed the twenty seven videos on

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his phone from that night. He acknowledged that he did

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not explicitly ask for permission to record, but claimed there

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was no doubt the woman was aware he was doing so.

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Asked why he filmed, he said he simply likes recording

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sexual encounters and watches the material later instead of pornography,

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adding that he has never shared the videos with anyone.

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Sleep researcher Starley Pallis An analyzed garment pulse watch data

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and gave a detailed explanation of how sleep and consciousness

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may have shifted during the recorded period. He testified the

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complainant's explanation was consistent with the biometric readings. The explanation

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of the complainant in both of these instances is compatible

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with her initially being asleep and thus unable at least

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until she woke up to resist the sexual act. More

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crown and controversy in just a moment. Norwegian influencer Nora

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Hauckland took the stand Friday, giving an emotional account of

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her relationship with Marius Borghebi Hoeby is charged with domestic

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abuse against Halcland. He denies criminal guilt. Halcland described what

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she said became a pattern over the course of their relationship,

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which lasted a little over a year from around April

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twenty two to July twenty three. Prosecutors argue she lived

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under what they called a regime of fear. At one point.

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Halkland described a confrontation at Skalgum in late twenty twenty

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two in court. She said, and then he says I

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hate you. When he gets right up in my face,

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he says I'm ruining his life, and he pushes me

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down on the sofa. He has both hands placed around

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my neck. His arms are straight and I can see

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I can't get through to him. I remember again that

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I start to black out and I can see his eyes,

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and there I see only hatred. How Colinn said, the

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incident continued and then he slaps me and I come too,

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and then he starts smashing things around, she told the court,

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describing what she says happened next as he broke objects

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and through things. I can remember he threw cutlery at me.

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In a door and then he screams how much he

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hates me. He was so angry. She described what she

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called repeated denial and manipulation in court. She explained, it's

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when you've experienced an incident and you know how you

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experienced it, but then someone wants to tell you that

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everything you think is wrong and that you were crazy.

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What happened didn't happen. In the end, you start to

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believe it and you become uncertain. Prosecutor Sterler Henrix Bow

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pressed her on why she stayed. He asked, why didn't

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you leave him? Halkerim responded, you had a lot of

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hope that it would get better. There was something so

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beautiful in the good parts too, and it was very intense,

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and I cared about him so own, incredibly much. She

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described a split in the person she felt she was

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dealing with. I felt Marius has two faces, one that

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is very sweet and charming and one that is determined

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and angry, hard in his grip, different everything she described.

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She told the court she continued to feel protective of him.

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I really wanted to save him. I have always been

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and still am, very fond of Marius, she said, wiping tears.

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He has a lot of good qualities that I wish

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he would feed. That is the Marius I was very

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in love with and fond of, and I feel very

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sorry for him. Prosecutors also played or referenced material from

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that period. In one sequence of video filmed in a taxi,

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showed a phone call discussing an incident with a person saying,

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but I saw in the hall that she grabbed her

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by the throat. The reporting says Hoyby replied, yes, that's fine,

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before the video ended. Halcln identified the caller as a witness,

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saying it was the security guard who saw that Marius

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choked me. Crown Princess Meta Marite iss facing what observers

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describe as one of the most serious crises of a

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public life as international coverage continues to damage her reputation abroad.

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According to reporting citing by the Danish outlet Dargans, Berlin

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based journalist Asbiance Farstard said the Crown princesses standing in

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Germany has particularly hard hit. He said, I'm afraid it's over.

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The reputation is completely destroyed. For many years, Metamurit enjoyed

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its strong popularity in Germany, where she was widely viewed

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as a modern and relatable member of the Norwegian royal family.

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That image has shifted dramatically in recent months. While the

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trial continues in Oslo, the rest of the Norwegian royal

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family has traveled abroad. King Harold and Queen Sonja have

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been in Milan for the Winter Olympics, and Crown Prince

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Harken is also in Italy. That leaves the Crown Princess

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at Skaugen Royal household. Commentator Tovey Tulsen told Netavision that

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the decision for the others to continue with their plans

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was both expected and appropriate, but added, I think it

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is the consequence of the situation she has put herself in.

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Attention is turning to the way the case itself has

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been handled. In reporting first published by Netavisen, one of

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Hoyby's lead lawyers, Ellen Holiger Andis, launched a direct attack

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on the authorities over the dramatic police operation that led

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to his arrest at a mountain cabin in September of

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twenty twenty four. Who else but Marius borg hoy experiences

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being arrested by ten to twelve police officers and protective

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gear and Balaclavs because of a restraining order breach over

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the phone and Naeus asked in court. She described the

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arrest as very dramatic and said it left her client

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with the impression they were out to get him. An

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opinion piece in Finnissavian suggests the extraordinary media pressure of

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Marius borg Weeby could justify a reduced sentence if he

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is convicted. They write, the media pressure has had a

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clear personal cost for Weeby. Over time, tens of thousands

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of articles have been published in Norwegian and international media.

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This continuous exposure has imposed psychological strains far beyond what

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it defended normally has to endure more crown and controversy

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in just a second. A striking sign of how deeply

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the cases penetrated Norwegian society came from outside the court room.

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Actor MARDs Shogard Peterson, who has been sitting through the

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proceedings day after day, is now developing a theater production

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based on the scandal. The play, titled The Sun, will

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premiere at Den nashiernal Scene in Bergen in June. The

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story will be told through the eyes of the King's bodyguards,

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the people who, in their words see everything, but are

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never allowed to speak. The creative team says the goal

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is not to pass judgment on the case, but to

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add nuance and open a wider conversation. This is the

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week a father testified. I am a father, plain and simple.

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It is biology. We are born with a protective instinct.

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The weak hotel victim described twenty seven videos he would

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never finish. He wouldn't stop videos stored at Royal Palace

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address slotsplasm Ie Hoiby confirms filming I simply like recording

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sexual encounters. Sleep researcher polsetater compatible with her initially being

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asleep unable to resist. Norah Haukln testified about choking, slapping, blackout.

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I feel Marius has two faces, one that is very

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sweet and charming and one that is determined and angry.

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Security guards saw him grab her throat. Hoibi replied, yes,

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that's fine, meadow Marit's German reputation is completely destroyed. Crownd

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princess alone at Skagum while family at Olympics, Defense attack,

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police arrest, operation theater, play the Sun in development and

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somewhere between courtroom testimony and Royal residences, Norway grapples were

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the case that has penetrated every corner of society, from

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polse watch data to bodyguards untold stories. Portions of this

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program were assembled with the assistance of AI, including help

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with translation, summarization, and news gathering from publicly available sources.

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Listeners should treat this as an informational overview, not of

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the Betam Court record. Nothing in this program should be

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considered a factual finding or legal determination. And there you

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have it. If you'd like to email us or address

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at the Palace Intrigue at gmail dot com. Please followus

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on Spotify, Apple or the app of your choice. By

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Mark Francis My thanks to John McDermott. This is Crown

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and Controversy, Norway.