METTE-MARIT'S RATING HALVED, MARIUS STAYS IN CUSTODY, AND A 120-YEAR-OLD SECRET - The week in Norwegian Royal News with Mark Francis

This week on Palace Intrigue: Norway, the trial of Marius Borg Høiby entered its sixth week and showed no signs of losing its power to shock. The court heard from friends of the Frogner woman who described the violent aftermath of August 4, 2024, in vivid and heartbreaking detail — including one witness who recalled the victim saying she could "handle being hit" as long as Høiby was alright. The defense's request for pre-trial release was denied. Prosecutors returned repeatedly to the question of Høiby's changing story. And eight hundred pages of private messages between Høiby and influencer Nora Haukland were read aloud in court over several days, revealing a relationship that cycled between tenderness and venom. Outside the courtroom, the pressure on Crown Princess Mette-Marit continued to build: a scouting organization called for her removal as patron; a physician defended the timing of December's lung transplant press conference against accusations of deliberate media manipulation; and polling showed her approval rating cut in half in a single month, from 7.4 to 3.7 out of ten. A century-old royal bloodline theory also resurfaced in the worst possible week. Closing arguments begin Monday. The end — and the verdict — is now in sight.

While no one truly knows what happens behind closed palace doors, this series uses news sources, on-the-record quotes, and some artistic license to craft this entertainment series. Some moments have been dramatized for storytelling effect. AI narration was used in creation of this series.

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