Norway, a country the world holds up as a model of order and dignity, is awaiting a verdict on Monday that cuts deep into the royal family. Marius Borg Hoiby, the 29-year-old son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, faces a 40-count indictment, including four rapes.

Hoiby is not a member of the royal house - he is Mette-Marit's son from a previous relationship and the stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, but grew up alongside his half-siblings at the very heart of the court. He has been in custody since February 2024. The prosecution is seeking a sentence of seven years and seven months in prison, while the defence insists on just a year and a half. Hoiby himself denies the most serious charges but has admitted to lesser drug and traffic offences.

The details in the indictment are grim: according to the prosecution, the assaults took place while the victims were asleep or incapacitated after a prior consensual encounter. The verdict is expected on 17 June, with Hoiby attending by video link, for "health reasons" that have not been specified.

For a royal family that builds its entire legitimacy on an image of impeccability, this is a blow to the very heart. And here the Balkans recognise something familiar - power and a surname have long known how to open doors and shut mouths. The question the Norwegian court answers on Monday is a simple one, and yet it is rarely asked honestly where the crown casts its shadow: does justice apply equally to those who grew up in the palace? The answer, this time at least, comes from the court, not from court protocol.