- Norwegian Princess Märtha Louise and Shaman Durek begin wedding festivities
- Controversial couple criticized; wedding kept private despite media deals
- Princess retains royal title but steps back from official duties
Norwegian Princess Märtha Louise and her American partner, self-styled shaman Durek Verrett, have begun their wedding festivities.
Hundreds arrived in Alesund, western Norway, on Thursday for a “meet and greet” at a historic hotel.
On Friday, they traveled by boat to the picturesque village of Geiranger, located on the shores of a Unesco World Heritage Site fjord. The wedding program shows guests will enjoy a “light lunch on the boat while witnessing the majestic mountains and waterfalls.
The couple will then marry at a private ceremony on Saturday.
Members of the Swedish royal family are expected to attend, as well as social media influencers and television figures such as Cynthia Bailey, a US reality star and model.
According to Norwegian media, attendees have been advised not to use mobile phones or cameras during the celebrations and to refrain from posting anything on social media.
Princess Märtha Louise, 52, and Mr Verrett, 49, have announced their engagement for 2022.
The princess, the eldest of Norwegian King Harald’s two children and a former equestrian, previously married the late writer and artist Ari Behn, with whom she had three daughters: Maud, Leah, and Emma. The couple divorced in 2017. Mr Behn, who had previously mentioned suffering from depression, died on Christmas Day 2019.
Märtha Louise has been controversial in Norway for decades due to her engagement in alternative remedies. In 2002, she gave up her honorific “Her Royal Highness” title to start her own business. She declared her clairvoyance in 2007 and maintained a school until 2018, claiming to teach pupils how to “create miracles” and communicate with angels.
Märtha Louise told the BBC’s Katty Kay last year that there had been so much “turmoil” surrounding her desire to choose a different path than a “traditional royal.”
“There’s been a lot of criticism over the years, especially with me being spiritual – and in Norway, that’s taboo,” she told the reporter.
Meanwhile, Mr. Verrett claims on his website that he is a sixth-generation shaman, “servant of god and energy activator” who “demystifies spirituality” with his “no-nonsense teachings.”
In an interview with Vanity Fair magazine, he claimed to have been resurrected from the dead and revealed that as a child, a relative promised he would marry Norway’s princess.
Princess Märtha Louise declared her romance with Mr Verrett on Instagram in 2019. Perhaps attempting to avoid criticism, she wrote: “To those of you who feel the need to criticize: Hold your horses.” It is not up to you to pick or judge me. Shaman Durek is a man I enjoy spending time with and who fulfills me.”
However, many Norwegians have yet to fully accept Mr Verrett. “They think he has said extraordinary things, and there are many cultural differences,” said Kristi Marie Skrede, a royal journalist for NRK TV in Norway. Many people here are very critical of what Mr Verrett says and does as a shaman.”
Regardless of the couple’s spiritual convictions, this weekend’s wedding ceremony will adhere to a more traditional canon. Parish Priest Margit Lovise Holte officiates according to the Norwegian Church’s wedding liturgy.
When the engagement was first announced, Norway’s public radio, NRK, stated that Mr Verrett would relocate to Norway and join the royal family without a title. He and Märtha Louise have purchased a home in Norway.
The Norwegian palace stated in 2022 that Märtha Louise would “relinquish her patronage role” as she and Mr. Verrett sought to “distinguish more clearly between their activities and the Royal House of Norway” and to “prevent misunderstandings regarding the Royal House.”
It went on to say that King Harald had determined that she would keep her title but not use it for economic purposes.
At the time, King Harald told Norwegian reporters that Mr Verrett was “a great guy” and that they both “laughed a lot, even during this difficult time.” He and I both better understood what this was about and agreed to disagree.
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Märtha Louise, on the other hand, came under fire this summer after her name and royal title appeared on the label of a commemorative wedding gin manufactured in honor of her marriage.
Ms. Skrede stated that many Norwegians are “tired of this behavior,” which some believe shows the princess “disrespects” her father. Beloved King Harald, 88, has been on the throne since 1991 and is one of Europe’s longest-serving monarchs. In April, plans to reduce his public activities “out of consideration for his age” were disclosed.
Locals are also outraged that Norwegian media will not cover the wedding despite the couple’s securing exclusive coverage rights with Hello! magazine. “This means the public won’t know or see anything about it unless they buy the magazine,” Ms. Skrede said.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that the couple had been working with Netflix for a year on what the streaming giant described as an “in-depth and moving documentary” about their relationship.
We are going global, and nothing is more powerful than the love that drives us,” Mr Verrett posted on Instagram.
Princess Märtha Louise is King Harald’s eldest child and the fourth in line for the throne. Her younger brother, Crown Prince Haakon, will succeed his father as King.
