Marius Borg Hoiby has been sentenced to four years in prison (Picture: AFP)

The son of Norway’s crown princess has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty on two counts of rape.

Marius Borg Hoiby,29,is the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of Crown Prince Haakon,the heir to the throne in the Norwegian royal family.

He faced 38 charges,including the rape of four women,assaulting and threatening a girlfriend and damaging her flat,drug charges and driving offences.

Judges at the Oslo District Court cleared him of two counts of rape,but he was found guilty of some of the other charges brought against him.

Hoiby wasn’t in court for the verdict,but appeared through video link.

His lawyers are expected to appeal the verdict,having called for a sentence of just 18 months for the crime.

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.He is the stepson of Crown Prince Haakon (Picture: Reuters)The Norwegian royal family has repeatedly said that Høiby is not a public figure. He has no official duties and is outside the line of succession.But his proximity to the monarchy means his trial has attracted international attention.

Who is Marius Borg Høiby?

Born on January 13,1997 to Mette-Marit and father Morten Borg,Høiby was not born into royalty.But when his mother married Prince Haakon in 2001,he was thrust into the spotlight and has been treated as a royal by the national media,despite having no official titles.He has previously come under public scrutiny,having been associated with gang members in 2023.After allegations of assault emerged,it was revealed he previously been arrested for using cocaine at a music festival in 2017.His stepfather,Prince Haakon,said in a statement last week: ‘Marius Borg Hoiby is not part of the royal household. In that respect,he is independent. But of course we love him. He is an important part of our family.‘And he is a citizen of Norway. With that,he has the same responsibilities as everyone else,but also the same rights.’Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at .For more stories like this,check our news page.