The wedding comes amid widespread criticism of the actions of the princess and her fiancé, and declining public support for the Scandinavian royal family, which is already facing negative reports about one of its troublemakers facing preliminary charges of domestic violence.
Princess Martha Louise, 52, and Verret, a self-proclaimed sixth-generation shaman or medium from California, have made headlines with their alternative beliefs.
The princess is fourth in line to the throne, but announced in 2022 that she would no longer represent the Norwegian royal house to work closely with her fiancé, who claims to have been a pharaoh in a past life.
The princess – who has kept her title – says she can speak to angels, while her fiancé, 49, claims he communicates with a wide range of spirits and has a medallion that helps ward off spells and cure illness.
The engagement took place in 2022. Once married, Verret will not receive royal titles or hold any official duties.
Under an agreement struck in 2019, Martha Louise and her fiancé Verret agreed not to use her connection to the royal house or her title for any commercial purposes.
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 and 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 couple have often criticised the press in their social media promotion campaigns.
Meanwhile, Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, is suspected of causing bodily harm and criminal damage.
Marius admitted to being drunk and using cocaine when he was briefly arrested on August 6 in Oslo. Børge Høiby, Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship, has no royal titles or official duties.
Haakon described the matter as a “serious matter.”
This scandal, coupled with the upcoming royal wedding, seriously eroded support for the Norwegian monarchy. King Harald remained silent on these issues.
A Norwegian political party known for its anti-monarchy stance is using recent scandals to campaign for a proposal to change the constitution and abolish the monarchy.
“These cases show some of the fundamental challenges facing the monarchy,” Andreas Sialg-Uneland, a lawmaker for the left-wing Socialist Left Party, told The Associated Press, referring to the royal wedding and the Børge Høiby case.
“Do we have to wait for a scandal so big that we abolish the monarchy, or can we give it a dignified end?” asked Sjalj O’Neland, adding that the nation should hold a referendum on the issue.
The proposal, expected to be introduced next month, is unlikely to gain support from other lawmakers.
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