The stepson of Norway’s new king has been seen carrying the coffin of the late Harald V, sparking strong reactions from royal supporters.
Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, joined members of the royal family on Monday to carry his step-grandfather’s coffin from the Royal Palace to the palace chapel.
He was one of eight who lifted the coffin, along with the new one King Haakon and his children Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, as well as Princess Martha Louise and her three daughters Maud, Leah and Emma Behn.
His mother, the new queen Mette-Maritalso joined the procession in what was her first official appearance since her husband became king alongside Harald’s widow, Queen Sonja.
Hoiby is currently serving a four-year sentence under house arrest at his parents’ Skaugum estate while he appeals his conviction on two counts of rape.
Norwegian police confirmed on Monday that Hoiby will also be allowed to attend Harald’s funeral on September 9.
Police prosecutor Oda Karterud said: ‘The public prosecutor was of the opinion that there were grounds to grant the leave applications submitted by Hoiby in connection with the death. Leave has been granted.”
Hoiby, who was born to the queen before her marriage to King Haakon, had already been allowed to visit the 89-year-old monarch in hospital shortly before his death on Friday.
But the decision to temporarily release Hoiby from house arrest so he could attend the late king’s ceremonies has deeply angered royal fans, many of whom strongly condemned his presence on such a somber occasion.
From left to right, King Hakkon, Prince Sverre Magnus, Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Marius Borg Hoiby, Princess Martha Louise, Leah Behn and Emma Behn carry the coffin of King Harald V
The disgraced son of Norway’s newly appointed Queen Mette-Marit remains under house arrest at the Skaugum estate while his case is reconsidered
One person wrote on social media: ‘I don’t know what a convicted criminal does at the funeral, especially when he’s not even related to the deceased. But the Norwegians will know what they are doing.’
Another said: ‘The rest of us would never be given so much freedom after he was convicted of rape,’ while a third added: ‘What a slap in the face to his victims!’
A fourth wrote: ‘They can love him very much, but letting a convict carry the king’s coffin is going too far in my opinion!’
Hoiby was convicted in June after a lengthy criminal trial in which he was also found guilty of 32 other offences, including drug offences, violence against a former partner and breaching restraining orders. He was acquitted of two further rape charges.
His rape conviction has since been appealed, and the case will now go to retrial. In the meantime, his four-year prison sentence has been upheld, although Hoiby remains subject to house arrest and electronic monitoring.
The case has cast a shadow on the Norwegian royal family at an already turbulent time, with Hoiby’s mother becoming queen after the death of King Harald.
Harald died on Friday after spending weeks in hospital in Oslo with haemolytic anemia, a condition in which red blood cells are destroyed faster than they can be replaced.
Immediately after his death, his son became King Haakon VIII, while Mette-Marit – who herself suffered from health problems – became queen.
Haakon took his oath of allegiance today in the Storting, the Norwegian parliament, in Oslo.
Mette-Marit was not present after recently suffering ‘complications’ from a lung transplant after being diagnosed in 2018 with pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive lung condition that causes scarring.
Hoiby (pictured in a court sketch) was convicted in June after a lengthy criminal trial in which he was also found guilty of 32 other crimes
Marius Borg Hoiby with his mother, the current Queen Mette-Marit in June 2022
Queen Mette-Marit was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018, a progressive condition that causes scarring of the lungs
But the new monarch faces a number of challenges, including the fallout from his wife’s former friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the criminal case involving her son.
Mette-Marit has largely stayed out of public life in recent months after undergoing the transplant in June and continues to recover.
Earlier this year, she apologized for her association with Epstein after details of their relationship emerged in files released by the US Department of Justice.
The Queen said she had been “manipulated” by the now disgraced financier, insisting she did not know he was a predatory abuser of teenage girls and young women.
She also said she never saw anything illegal during their friendship The Telegraph.
Meanwhile, thousands of Norwegians have paid their respects to King Harald since his death, leaving flowers, cards and candles outside the Royal Palace in Oslo.
The king’s coffin was brought to the palace on Friday after his death in hospital, while tens of thousands of mourners attended memorial services in churches and cathedrals across the country.
Harald, Norway’s longest-serving monarch in modern times, suffered increasing health problems in his final years and gradually reduced his official duties before his death.
In the meantime, Norway’s new King Haakon VIII has apparently made a subtle gesture of support for his disgraced stepson.
A family portrait showing a young Hoiby resting his head on his stepfather’s shoulder was displayed on a cabinet behind 53-year-old Haakon during his first address to the nation since becoming king.
The television speech was filmed in the Hall of Mirrors of the Royal Palace in Oslo after the death of Haakon’s father. Harald Vplunged the country into mourning last week.
The Norwegian The royal family has also continued to post photos of Hoiby after he was jailed for four years for a series of offences.
One such photo was included in an official tribute to Harald on the palace’s official Instagram account last night.
The The snowy Christmas portrait was taken in 2008 at Skaugum Palace and showed an 11-year-old Hoiby sitting next to his step-grandmother, Queen Sonja, as the royal family “grilled sausages over a campfire, built a snowman and went sledding.”
Hoiby also appeared as a toddler in an official photo released by the palace to mark King Haakon and Queen Mette-Marit’s 25th wedding anniversary, as fans online felt the decision was an “incredible mistake” in light of the conviction.
