Norway braces for verdict in rape trial of crown princess's son Høiby

When three judges in courtroom 250 deliver their verdict at Oslo District Court early on Monday, Marius Borg Høiby - the son of the crown princess of Norway - will find out the extent of his sentence.

Høiby, 29, will appear via video link because of unspecified health reasons, almost three months after his trial came to an end on 40 charges, including four counts of rape. He denies the most serious offences but admits some of the lesser charges involving drugs and traffic offences.

Prosecutors say he should be given seven years and seven months in jail, whereas his defence lawyers believe he should serve a year-and-a-half.

Høiby, whose mother married into the royal family when he was four, has been in custody since the start of February.

Police detained him shortly before the trial began on suspicion of assault and violating a restraining order involving an ex-girlfriend.

Repeated attempts by his lawyers to have him released have failed.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit is very ill, and only last week an appeal court turned down a bid for Høiby to be allowed out so he could be with her. She has been placed on a lung transplant list little over a week ago, and has since been seen visiting her son in prison with Crown Prince Haakon.

Theirs is a picture of a family in turmoil. Mette-Marit's doctors have made clear the general rule for anyone placed on the transplant list is because they believe the patient has only a year to live.