Norwegian Princess Märtha Louise married American spiritual teacher Durek Verrett on Saturday in a ceremony attended by the Norwegian king and members of the royal family.
The wedding was the culmination of three days of celebrations for Martha Louise, 52, fourth in line to the throne, and Verrett, 49, a California spiritual healer, after the couple first went public with their relationship in 2019.
The couple were joined in the western city of Geiranger by members of the Swedish and Norwegian royal families, as well as friends, social media influencers and Norwegian celebrities.
Martha Louise, the daughter of King Harald and Queen Sonja, stepped down from her official royal duties in 2022 to allow her to pursue her business ventures more freely, and said she and Veret would refrain from using her title as princess in business deals.
But earlier this year, Märtha Louise had put her name on bottles of gin – a strong clear liqueur – and launched the brand to coincide with the wedding, defying King Harald V’s instructions not to take advantage of her royal status, and the brand was eventually changed.
The couple also sold the rights to their wedding photos to a British celebrity magazine, as well as the rights to a movie about them to Netflix.
The deals have sparked protests from Norwegian media, which say they conflict with local practices.
The wedding, held in a large outdoor tent, was open only to media sponsors and was not broadcast on television, unlike the princess’s first wedding in 2002, which was held in the country’s largest church. Her first marriage ended in divorce in 2017.
Verrett will become a member of Norway’s extended royal family, as determined by the Royal Palace, but not of the core Norwegian royal house, which only includes the king and the two next in line to the throne plus their spouses, so he will not become a prince.
