Princess Mette-Marit’s son Marius Berger-Hoibi faces 38 charges of allegedly abusing women as his mother regrets her links to Epstein.

The son of the Crown Princess of Norway has pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape, in a trial that has brought new scrutiny to a royal family already reeling from rape-related embarrassment. Jeffrey Epstein Open.

Marius Borg Hojby entered his plea on Tuesday as proceedings opened at the Oslo District Court. If convicted of the most serious charge he faces, he could be sentenced to at least 10 years in prison.

Hojby, the son of Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, heir to the throne, faces 38 charges, including domestic violence, assault and drug possession.

The 29-year-old has no formal royal title or role, but the trial has rocked Norway’s royal family. The court said part of the trial will be held behind closed doors.

Hoiby is sued After multiple arrests in 2024, he was released in August and awaited trial until his arrest on Sunday on new charges of assault, knife threats and breaching a restraining order.

Defense lawyer Petar Sekulic said the latest arrest followed an alleged “incident” involving another person, but declined to give details. The court agreed to keep Hoiby in custody for up to a month due to the risk of him re-offending.

Hoiby is accused of four rapes between 2018 and 2024, violence and threats against an ex-partner between 2022 and 2023, and two acts of violence against another partner and breaching a restraining order.

Sekulik previously said Hoiby “denies all allegations of sexual abuse and most of the allegations of violence.”

The trial comes as the royal family faces backlash over Mette-Marit’s contacts with late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

one batch The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday released documents related to the Epstein investigation mentioned her Hundreds of times.

Mette-Marit said in a statement that she “must take responsibility for not investigating Epstein’s background more thoroughly” and called their exchange “simply embarrassing.”