The tabloids love a royal scandal, and while a Norwegian Princess marrying an American shaman might seem like a fairytale, it’s currently providing very real fodder for the press.
Martha Louise married her boyfriend Durek Verrett, a self-proclaimed sixth-generation Shaman from California, in a luxurious three-day ceremony in the Norwegian village of Geiranger over the weekend. They’ve incensed the Norwegian press and (probably) Norway’s royal family, but we’re completely obsessed with this story. Here’s everything you need to know about 2024’s strangest royal wedding.
Who Is Martha Louise, Princess of Norway?
Martha Louise, 52, is Norwegian royalty with a capital “R” – the daughter and oldest child of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway. Martha is also the mother of three teenage daughters, Maud Angelica, 21, Leah Isadora, 19, and Tallulah, 15, from her previous marriage to the late Norwegian author Ari Behn. The Norweigan royal family follows the rule of Primogeniture, where male heirs are privileged, so while Martha is the oldest child of the Norwegian King, she’s fourth in line to the throne.
But, Martha’s unphased and has made this discriminatory policy work for her. Like another royal who married an American, Martha stepped away from her royal duties in 2020 to focus on her business ventures. But, she’d already lost her “royal highness” title in 2002 when she chose to work as a clairvoyant and alternative therapist. She also opened an “angel school” where students could learn alternative healing techniques and master contacting celestial beings. We respect the hustle; the Norwegian press were less complimentary.
While Martha Louise has promised not to use her royal title to promote her business ventures, the princess couldn’t suppress her entrepreneurial spirit. There are allegations that Martha was heavily involved in launching a gin that celebrates her upcoming wedding using her royal title on the bottle. “We created this gin for the wedding of Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett in Geiranger in August 2024,” the label on the raspberry, blueberry and blackcurrant gin stated. However, The Guardian has reported that according to Oslo Håndverksdestilleri (OHD), Martha and her husband were involved in the label design process, and it was the princess’s idea to make the gin.
Her parents are presumably unimpressed.
Who Is Durek Verrett?
Martha’s new husband is no less colourful a character. Verrett, a self-proclaimed shaman, told reporters that while he was introduced to Martha by mutual friends, he had actually met her in a past life. “I have memories of us in Egypt, and she was my queen, and I was a pharaoh,” he reminisced to People in 2019. Despite Verrett’s more unfortunate comments to Norway’s journalists.
Recently, journalist Ingeborg Senneset complained to The Times that Verrett had talked to him about removing bad spirits from children. “In 2021, he left me a series of voicemails and tried to convince me of the existence of the Illuminati. It’s kind of important people know just how far out he actually is.” He has also claimed that childhood cancer is caused by unhappiness in a book called Spirit Hacking that was banned in Norway. Verrett is a huge fan of Oscar-winner and Goop entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow and describes her as a “soul sister.” She didn’t attend the wedding.
The Controversy Around Princess Martha Louise’s Wedding
For news outlets, securing imagery from a royal wedding is essential to reporting. This is why Martha and Verrett have incensed the Norwegian press by selling images from their wedding in an exclusive to Hello. Tatler reported that Martha dismissed well-wishers to ensure Hello photographers got their money’s worth, saying, “They’re more important than you right now.” Reidun Kjelling Nybø of the Norwegian Editors’ Association told the Norwegian state broadcasting company that this was a breach of “a long and good tradition” in which the taxpayer-funded members of the royal family provided ready access to the lavish nuptials of royals – call it bread and circuses.
Who Were The Guests At Princess Martha Louis’ Wedding?
According to the Daily Mail, Martha and Durek advised guests to stick to a “cool and sexy” dress code for their pre-wedding welcome party. They advised that they would be escorted to the Geiranger Fjord via boat. Despite friction, 87-year-old King Harald was in attendance along with Queen Sonia. Other European royals were low on the ground, with Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, her brother Prince Carl Philip and their spouses representing the Swedish royal house.
According to Euronews, no other European royals were present. Otherwise, the event was packed with Durek’s influencer friends and acquaintances. Model Margie Plus and Maltese couturier Charles Borg were in attendance. Matthew Dennis Lewis, star of The Queen’s Gambit and Godless, revealed himself to be a friend of the couple. Norwegian television personality Harald Ronneberg told NRK: “It was fantastic! It was Hollywood meets Geiranger. It was gospel and love. We laughed, we clapped, and we were touched. It was absolutely beautiful.”
What Did Princess Martha Louis Wear?
What does a princess who can talk to celestial beings wear for her wedding day? Princess Martha selected a sleeveless wedding dress by Norwegian designer Tina Steffenakk Hermansen. She wore a diamond and pearl tiara her grandfather King Olav gifted her on her eighteenth birthday. Her train bore the couple monogram, which Princess Martha explained on Instagram symbolises “The wise owl, guardian of souls navigating between worlds. The owl represents the protector, guiding humans through the passage from earthly existence to the spirit world.”
We wish the happy couple all the best.
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This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
