The legal proceedings commencing today in Norway regarding Marius Borg Høiby serve as a critical juncture for the 21st-century monarchy. Facing 38 charges, including sexual assault, Høiby’s plea of not guilty forces the Norwegian judiciary to demonstrate that the rule of law in Norway is indeed blind to royal titles. This is a macro-sociological litmus test: can a modern social democracy maintain a hereditary institution when its members fail the most basic tests of civic and human decency?
This crisis is not isolated to Northern Europe. It reflects a global shift where the “divine right” of elites is being dismantled by a public that demands absolute accountability. From the United States to Brazil, the era of protected dynasties is closing. By analyzing the fall of royal prestige in Norway, we see the blueprint for the eventual dissolution of all anachronistic power structures worldwide.
