Norwegian watchdog closes inquiry into palace warning before Høiby arrest

Norway’s police watchdog has closed its investigation into whether police warned the royal court before Marius Borg Høiby’s arrest in 2024. It said no criminal offence was considered proven.

The watchdog found that a police employee had told the court’s communications chief that Høiby had been violent towards a former partner. The employee did so before knowing that police had decided to arrest him, it said.

The disclosure did not breach the legal duty of confidentiality, the watchdog concluded. It said the information was shared for security reasons and that discussing security matters with the court was part of the employee’s duties. Its decision was dated 3 July and published on 5 November.

Høiby, the son of Norway’s Queen Mette-Marit, was arrested at Skaugum in Asker on 4 August 2024. He was later sentenced to four years in prison for offences including rape and abuse of a former partner; he has appealed against his convictions.

The watchdog said no other police employees had warned the court about the planned arrest. It found that the justice ministry and the prime minister’s office had been informed, and that the ministry had been in contact with the court before the arrest. It did not investigate that contact further because its remit covers police conduct.

The justice ministry told Norwegian newspaper VG that it had not warned the court or anyone else outside government about the arrest.