The princess fourth-in-line to the Norwegian throne is marrying a self-proclaimed shaman this weekend.
Princess Martha Louise, 52, met “Shaman” Durek Verrett, 49, in 2019 after they were introduced by a mutual friend, announcing their engagement three years later.
Their wedding celebrations began on Thursday at the UNESCO-listed Geiranger Fjord where members of other European royal families and celebrities will descend on Saturday for the official ceremony.
The princess and her husband-to-be are no strangers to controversy in Norway. Here we look at their history so far.
Princess Martha Louise and Durek Verrett arrive at a government party in September 2023. Pic: AP
Who is Princess Martha Louise?
Princess Martha Louise of Norway is the daughter of King Harald and Queen Sonja.
Her father became king in 1991, a year after she was given succession rights, making her fourth in line for the throne.
Despite being the king’s eldest child, her younger brother, Crown Prince Haakon, will succeed him as monarch.
The Norwegian Royal Family, with King Harald (centre right), Queen Sonja (centre left), and Princess Martha Louise (third right). Pic: AP
The princess married author and artist Ari Behn in 2002. The couple had three daughters: Maud Angelica, 21, Leah Isadora, 19, and Emma Tallulah, 15.
They divorced in 2017. He died by suicide on Christmas Day 2019 following years of mental health problems and alcoholism.
Princess Martha Louise and her former husband Ari Behn on their wedding day in 2002. Pic: Reuters
Princess Martha Louise and her late husband Ari Behn in 2010. Pic: Reuters
The princess lost the title of “royal highness” in 2002 over public concerns she was using her constitutional role to help her start her own business. She stepped down from royal duties entirely in 2022 but has been allowed to retain her princess title.
She told a BBC documentary in 2023 that she believes her fiance’s views are behind the public’s discontent.
“The Norwegian people I guess… have decided it’s best for me to step down because of his [Verrett’s] views about things,” she said.
As a self-styled clairvoyant, she ran her own “angel school” between 2007 and 2018, which was described as an alternative therapy centre that helped clients communicate with angels and the dead.
She now has another alternative therapy business with her fiance.
Shaman’s views are ‘very strange’
Durek Verrett is originally from San Francisco and says he comes from generations of shamans linked to the Lucumi tribe in Haiti.
He has been arrested several times and says he spent a year in a Californian prison in 1991 for the arson of an unoccupied building he organised a party in.
According to reports, between 2007 and 2015 he was in a relationship with a male massage therapist called Hank Greenberg. How now identifies as bisexual.
His Instagram describes him as a “servant of God” and an “energy activator”.
Durek Verrett in Oslo in 2019. Pic: Reuters
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Soon after he began dating Princess Martha Louise in 2019, the couple embarked on a tour called The Princess and The Shaman, offering show-goers “meditation and shamanic exercises”.
During the coronavirus pandemic, he sold “spirit optimiser” medallions for about £200 on his website, which he claimed could ward off the virus.
In his 2019 book Spirit Hacking, he claimed child cancer is caused by unhappiness and casual sex causes spirits to occupy a woman’s vagina, which he can eliminate with his own “exercises”.
Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg has described his views as “very strange” and the book has been banned over concerns it promotes disinformation.
He has said he acknowledges some people find his views “difficult”.
Princess Martha Louise and Durek Verrett after a TV appearance in Oslo in 2019. Pic: Reuters
Bumpy beginnings, controversy and past lives
Like in the UK, coverage of royal weddings in Norway is usually managed by the royal household and distributed between media outlets.
However, the couple have said their nuptials will be covered exclusively by Hello! Magazine, sparking fresh accusations of the princess using her royal status for profit.
Although the King and Queen are due to attend, alongside other members of the family, they will reportedly avoid being captured in any paid-for photos.
They gave their blessing upon their engagement, saying in a statement: “We are excited to have Durek Verrett join the family and we look forward to celebrating the big day with them. We wish Martha and Durek all the best.”
Verrett told People magazine he met his fiancee in Ancient Egypt in a past life.
Norwegian media has since reported the couple paid for a year of reputation management services, including the removal of the prime minister’s comments about Verrett.
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Princess Martha Louise has attributed public dislike of him to racism, telling Vanity Fair in 2020: “I never thought that there was racism in Norway before I met him.”
Verrett has said his relationship with his future in-laws has improved over the past five years.
“I’m not gonna lie and say like in the beginning it wasn’t kind of bumpy because you’re having this shaman, bisexual, black man coming into your family,” he said on Instagram. “But over years we’ve built such a lovely relationship. I love them.”
He also speaks highly of life in Norway, saying it “has unlocked a new level of bliss”.
In April this year, the couple announced they were “drawing a line” with the media.
“As we prepare for our Big Day, we are dedicated to taking care of each other, prioritising our mental wellbeing and love for each other, and have therefore decided that from this day forward, we will not comment on anything the press throws at us,” Princess Martha Louise wrote on Instagram.
Verrett has also publicly distanced himself from his mother, issuing her with a cease-and-desist letter. The couple claims she is in a “paid contract” with a Norwegian newspaper, which they say has “repeatedly slandered our characters”.
Geiranger Fjord, Norway. File pic: iStock
‘Cool and sexy’ wedding dress code
Celebrations began on Thursday with a welcome boat party through the Geiranger Fjord on Norway’s west coast – where the wedding takes place on Saturday.
The area is a UNESCO world heritage site, known for its breathtaking waterscapes.
The wedding itself is being held at the four-star Hotel Union in the town of Alesund. Originally built in 1891, it has been remodelled with Swiss-style features, and boasts 13 suites, a nightclub, spa, and vintage car exhibition, according to its website.
When they announced their wedding, the couple said they were “incredibly happy” to be able to celebrate their “love in Geiranger’s beautiful surroundings”.
Verrett will then take permanent residence in Norway but not assume a royal role, national broadcaster NRK has claimed.
According to the Daily Mail, guests are being told to dress “cool and sexy” for the three-day festivities.
Members of other European royal families are on the guest list, along with a host of global celebrities.
The wedding party includes seven groomsmen and seven bridesmaids, three of which are thought to be the princess’s daughters.
Before the event, guests posted pictures of themselves on social media exploring Oslo and the Alesund area.
