Marius Borg Høiby, 29, the son of Norway's crown princess, has started giving evidence in his rape trial. He is accused of rape and more than 30 other serious charges. At court, he looked emotional. His voice shook, and he stopped several times to wipe his eyes. He said, "It was very difficult to talk," and complained about being followed by the press since he was three years old. Marius denies four rape charges and other allegations. The trial began after the first woman accused him of rape. She said she felt drugged at an "after-party" in the basement of his parents' house in December 2018. The woman spoke of feeling "betrayal and shock" when police showed her videos allegedly of him sexually assaulting her after consensual sex. She has said she has a "black hole" in her memory and cannot recall what happened. Marius, born before his mother Mette-Marit married Crown Prince Haakon, is not a public figure or royal family member. At his first court appearance on Tuesday, he was seen shaking and needed hospital treatment overnight instead of going back to jail. On Wednesday, he regained composure and told the court, "I am known for being my mother's son. Nothing else. I have had an extreme need for validation." He admitted to having "a lot of sex, drugs and alcohol." The trial is happening as his mother faces criticism for exchanging hundreds of messages with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein over three years. The royal palace said she postponed a private trip "until further notice." She has expressed regret over the messages. In court, Marius wore a dark turtleneck sweater and spoke straight to the three judges about half an hour without looking at his notes. He avoided glancing at two women who are alleged victims sitting nearby. He described meeting the first woman at a party and trying cocaine for the first time then.