Norwegian Royals’ Son Emerges From House Arrest to Mourn King

Convicted rapist and son of Queen Mette-Marit from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, was allowed out of house arrest three times for goodbyes and funeral arrangements amid King Harald’s death. The 29-year-old visited the late king before his death on August 28. He walked alongside the coffin when it was moved from the Red Salon to the Palace Chapel, and he has now been granted permission to attend the funeral on September 9. During the procession, Høiby walked behind the coffin, as other family members surrounded it. Høiby is guilty of two counts of rape and one count of domestic violence. His ex-girlfriend Nora Haukland—the only victim publicly named—also has a restraining order against him. Although he’s not in the line of succession and holds no royal rank, he’s awaiting an appeal hearing while he resides in the Skaugum royal estate, estimated to cost $19 million. He was sentenced to four years in prison and is appealing his conviction. He was arrested on charges of violating a restraining order, threatening someone with a knife and committing other assaults. As Queen Mette-Marit recovers from a lung transplant necessitated by her condition, she has not publicly commented on her son’s crimes. But the new King Haakon issued a statement after the royals’ head of communications said the royal family plans to assist the Queen’s son. “Our thoughts are with everyone who is affected by this case,” King Haakon said. “... At the same time, it is reassuring to know that we live in a state governed by the rule of law. I am confident that those responsible for overseeing the proceedings will ensure that the trial is conducted in as orderly, proper, and just a manner as possible.”

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The Dolly Parton estate just announced a plan for “DollyFest”—a two-weekend-long music festival in both Nashville and London to commemorate the late country star. The cross-continental event was originally slated for Dolly’s 80th birthday in January, with the venue and acts booked, but it was postponed along with her Vegas residency amid health issues that began last September. Although she won’t be able to see it, the celebration of her life will finally come to fruition in 2027, and her longtime manager said it was “truly dreamed up by Dolly.” “What Dolly started, we will ensure is brought to life,” Danny Nozell said. “This is something that is authentic to her, something that feels right to me, and something that artists and fans around the world can participate in—while also giving everyone time to grieve, and giving everyone time to plan.”

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Annabel Elliot, Queen Camilla’s younger sister, is reportedly being paid by the King’s Foundation (His Majesty’s flagship charity) for “branding” and “retail” consultancy, according to British newspaper The Sunday Times. The exact amount is unknown, but the role has come about after Prince William, upon taking over the Duchy of Cornwall on his father’s accession, promptly removed Elliot from its payroll, where she had collected hundreds of thousands of pounds over two decades advising Charles on interiors. The issue isn’t Elliot’s ability, but the arrogance of how King Charles appears to have disregarded ethical norms in getting his sister-in-law remunerated by a charity without any apparent oversight. The King’s operating principle has always been: do what you like, ignore advice, and treat inconvenient safeguards as impertinences. Another example? His advisers urged caution over Prince Harry; the King ignored them. The public has made its views on the Sussexes known with brutal clarity; the King isn’t listening. Many good people around Charles have spent years trying to save him from himself, and his response has been to do as he pleases on every front. But how much longer can the King afford to treat warnings as impertinences?

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Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot has scolded U.S. Ambassador Bill White for his social media digs at government officials. The Trump ally took to Instagram last week to take a jab at Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, using an AI-generated image of him and writing, “Who’s the biggest LOSER in Belgium?” The post appeared to be a response to the health minister’s push for stricter warning labels on alcohol products. White had also fallen afoul of Belgian officials back in February, when he accused the country’s government of antisemitism for investigating Jewish circumcisions. A spokesperson for Prévot told POLITICO that the foreign minister told White in a meeting that public comments “personally targeting Belgian officials … cannot be tolerated,” and “any further provocation would be counterproductive and could lead to an unnecessary escalation in our relations.” White, in a statement on X, confirmed the meeting and promised to “refrain from making derogatory statements targeting Belgian officials.”

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Soccer legend Lionel Messi has retired from Argentina’s national team after leading his country to this year’s World Cup Final. On Monday he announced his decision to step back from international play via Instagram. He said he had written about his choice on July 21, two days after Argentina’s loss, but that his father’s death Aug. 7 has since made him “more convinced than ever,” a handwritten notebook entry read. His father, Jorge, passed away at the age of 68 after an illness. Messi said that making the decision to retire was difficult, “It was a decision that hurt and still hurts to my core, but I understand that it’s the right time,” the soccer captain wrote in Spanish. “I swear that I always gave my all, not only in the last few years when we won everything, but also before, and I always fought and gave everything for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentinian through football.“ Messi is Argentina’s all time leading goal scorer. He previously announced he was retiring from international soccer in 2016 but reversed that decision. He will continue to play professionally for Inter Miami.

Multiple people were injured, including some seriously, after a shuttle bus crashed into a concrete wall at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. The vehicle, which was transporting employees, hit a barrier outside Terminal B departures on Level 3 around 3 a.m. on Monday. At least 13 people were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Port Authority Police Department. The shuttle bus driver’s condition is still unknown. Local media reports show the front of the vehicle’s windshield smashed in, as well as heavy damage to its right-hand side. The airport advised on social media on Monday to “please drop off all Terminal B Departures on Level 2” due to Port Authority Police Department activity related to the crash. The incident closed the roadway as crew members worked to clear debris. Air traffic was not affected, and the airport was not closed. Authorities confirmed that an investigation into the crash, including what caused it, is underway. Newark is the second-busiest airport within the New York airport system, after John F. Kennedy International Airport.

A volcano in Indonesia has erupted, shooting a column of black ash and smoke 11,482 feet into the sky above the island of Sumatra. No immediate reports of casualties, evacuations, or flight disruptions came from the region around Mount Sinabung. But residents, visitors, and tourists were advised to avoid activities in nearby villages in the Karo district of North Sumatra province, as well as areas within 3.7 miles of the summit. Roads, vehicles, and buildings in several affected villages were coated in gray ash, and local authorities distributed masks to residents. Officials raised the volcano’s alert level to “Watch,” the second-highest level for volcanic activity, and expanded the safe zone around the 8,530-foot mountain. “This eruption is considered an initial eruption, and it is possible that a larger eruption could occur,” Lana Saria, chief of Indonesia’s Geological Agency, said in a statement. The agency had previously recorded increased activity at the volcano in mid-August, including dozens of earthquakes, prompting it to expand the recommended safety radius. Over the past few years, about 30,000 people have been forced to leave their homes near the volcano because of volcanic activity. Indonesia, home to more than 280 million people, sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and has more than 120 active volcanoes.

A Georgia cop has been placed on leave after shooting a baby donkey that approached officers during a late-night search for a missing person. The donkey’s owner, Hannah Israel of Elsberry Riding and Farm in Rockmart, Georgia, said officers entered her pasture without permission at about 12:45 a.m. Sunday as part of their search and encountered a small male donkey named HeeHaw. The donkey approached the police and began braying at them. After trying unsuccessfully to tase the animal, an officer who said he felt under threat shot HeeHaw dead. The Cedartown Police Department has opened an investigation into the shooting and put the officer on administrative leave. Israel wrote in a Facebook post that HeeHaw, who was “raised in the house and did petting zoos,” was “shot and killed in his own pasture for doing what donkeys do: alerting to a stranger.” A GoFundMe that Israel created to raise money to bring legal action against the police department had raised more than $56,000 as of Monday morning.

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Students from a prestigious boarding school previously attended by King Charles discovered a Viking church that could be more than 1,000 years old. The group of 10 pupils from the $93,000-a-year Gordonstoun School in Scotland found the remains of the medieval building while assisting with an archaeological dig. The students joined researchers from the Orkney Research Center for Archaeology and found the tops of the ancient church beneath a newer building on the island of Swona, north of the nation’s mainland. While working on the dig on the abandoned island, the students stayed in a derelict house with no electricity or running water and had to fetch water from an ancient well. The grueling workday began around 8 a.m. and finished around 6 p.m. “The archaeology dig was the most enjoyable part of the trip; being able to discover history in real time was incredible,” said pupil Archie Maclean, 17. Vikings are believed to have been the first settlers on Swona, with the last remaining residents leaving the island in 1974.

A teenager is accused of smashing through an airport fence and crashing into a plane as he fled from the police. The incident occurred Saturday at Portsmouth International Airport and involved what New Hampshire State Police described as “a vehicle related to reported crimes in other local jurisdictions.” Fox News reports that Wyatt Seely, 17, of Rochester, has been named as the suspect who allegedly drove a black 2008 Ford Mustang that collided with a Kubota tractor and a small plane parked inside the airport. Both the car and the plane suffered serious damage, WMUR-TV reports. “The Mustang, which did not have its lights on at the time, then crashed through a perimeter fence of the nearby Portsmouth International Airport and traveled across an aircraft parking apron,” the state police said. Seely was the only person injured in the incident. He was taken to the hospital by state troopers and is set to be arraigned on Sept. 9 in Portsmouth District Court. He was charged with misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated, aggravated driving while intoxicated, disobeying a police officer, and conduct after an accident, Fox News reported.