Crown Princess Mette-Marit beams in official engagement at university – after her son Marius Borg Høiby brought back a ‘girlfriend from London’ as he faces rape charges

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway was all smiles as she made a visit to the OsloMet University this afternoon – after reports that her son, who is facing a string of charges including rape, has returned to the country after attending a rehab centre in the UK with his ‘new girlfriend’.

The future Queen of the Scandinavian nation, 51, was effortlessly elegant in high-waisted plaid trousers, and a white blouse tucked in at the waist.

She topped her ensemble off with a black blazer, and carried a deep orange clutch, accessorising with tan suede shoes.

The mother-of-three styled her platinum tresses in a sleek, straight style, and grinned while chatting to staff at the college’s Department of Art, Design and Drama.

Mette-Marit looked deeply engrossed in the textiles she was shown, and closely examined the fabrics and thread material on display. 

Her appearance comes after the royal’s 28-year-old son, Marius Borg Høiby, reportedly stepped off the plane in Oslo ‘with a new girlfriend in tow’.

The unnamed woman has ‘lived in London for a long time’ according to Norwegian paper Se og Hor.

Marius was first arrested in the summer, and has since faced a string of charges including assault and two rapes and as well as other sexual assault charges.

The investigation into the future king’s stepson is ongoing, with Borg Høiby also facing charges for breaching restraining orders against various women and tampering with evidence.

After admitting to causing bodily harm to his girlfriend while under the influence of alcohol and cocaine, Borg Høiby attended a rehab centre in London.

It is while he was in the British capital he is believed to have struck up romance with the unnamed woman.  

His first arrest was on August 4 for an assault, he was then arrested again on September 13 for a different alleged assault and a third time in November on rape charges.

In a statement issued via his lawyer after the first charge, Borg Høiby said he suffers from ‘several mental disorders’ and has ‘struggled with substance abuse for a long time’. 

He then flew to London with his step-father Crown Prince Haakon to attend the rehabilitation centre. 

Borg Høiby is also under investigation for another offence believed to have occurred ‘a few hundred metres away’ from the Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit’s Skaugum Estate. 

In November, he was released from custody after he was arrested on suspicion of rape.

The 28-year-old – who has since been accused of a second rape – was banned from having visitors and letters during his stay in custody due to the risk of tampering with evidence

Police said Borg Høiby was released because they believed there was no longer any danger of evidence being lost or destroyed. 

Since his arrest, a shocking video of Borg Høiby has been shared with the Norwegian publication Se og Hør, which allegedly shows the former mechanic illustrating how he ended the relationship with an ex.

In the clip, Borg Høiby is reportedly asked: ‘How did you break up with your last girlfriend?’. Shrugging his shoulders, he then leans forward towards the camera as he makes a slapping gesture with his hands. 

It is not known when the video was recorded – but it was allegedly published in a group in Borg Høiby’s own network, which consists of around 50 people.

Borg Høiby’s lawyer, Bratlien, said his client was innocent and was opposed to being held in preventive detention.

Bratlien said he would appeal the detention ruling, but welcomed the fact that judges had not granted the police request for a two-week detention. ‘We consider that promising,’ he said in a written statement to NRK.

The rape charge comes after he was accused of bodily harm following a late-night row on August 4 at the Oslo apartment of a woman he was having a relationship with, police said.

Norwegian media reported that police found a knife stuck in one of the woman’s bedroom walls at the time.

Borg Høiby in a later statement to the media admitted to causing her bodily harm while he was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol and of damaging her apartment. He said he regretted his acts.

Borg Høiby was arrested again in September for breaching a restraining order.

When he was detained, he was in a car with the alleged victim of the August incident, according to police.

Borg Høiby was raised by the royal couple alongside his step-siblings Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 21, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 18. Unlike them however he has no official public role.

The Norwegian royal family was rocked by Borg Høiby’s first arrest at the beginning of August, after a woman – Rebecca Helberg Arntsen – was left in hospital with her injuries following an attack.

A week after his arrest, Borg Høiby admitted to the assault on Rebecca, whom he referred to as his ‘girlfriend’ (her lawyers have refuted this claim). 

In a statement issued via his own lawyer, Borg Høiby said he suffers from ‘several mental disorders’ and has ‘struggled with substance abuse for a long time’, which he said he is resuming treatment for. 

The statement read: ‘Last weekend something happened that should never have happened. I committed bodily harm and destroyed objects in an apartment in the intoxication of alcohol and cocaine after an argument.

‘I have several mental disorders which mean that throughout my upbringing and adult life, I have had, and still have, challenges. I have struggled with substance abuse for a long time, something I have been in treatment for in the past.

‘The drug use and my diagnoses do not excuse what happened in the apartment at Frogner on the night of Sunday last weekend. I want to be responsible for what I have done, and will explain myself truthfully to the police.

‘For me, the most important thing is to say sorry to my girlfriend. She deserved neither what happened that night, nor the extreme pressure from both the Norwegian and foreign press afterwards.’ 

Mette-Marit’s eldest son also apologised to his family for his actions that have ‘greatly affected you’.