Marius Borg Høiby, the 29-year-old son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been found guilty of two counts of rape and sentenced to four years in prison.

The three judges in courtroom 250 at Oslo District Court cleared him of two other rape charges but found him guilty of many other offenses he had been accused of. Høiby was not present in court for the verdict but joined via video link.

Prosecutors had called for a sentence of seven years and seven months, while defense lawyers sought a lesser term of 18 months and may appeal the verdict. Høiby's mother married into the royal family when he was four, and although he grew up within the family, he is not a royal figure himself.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit is seriously ill with pulmonary fibrosis and has recently been placed on a lung transplant list. Høiby's lawyers have repeatedly sought his release from prison to spend time with his mother due to her declining health.

One of the three judges, Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad, began the session early Monday with a summary of their conclusions before reading out the 128-page ruling explaining the verdict.

Source: www.bbc.com