Norwegian Princess Märtha Louise is set to marry American self-proclaimed shaman Durek Verrett on August 31, a union of two alternative-therapy devotees that has raised eyebrows in Norway.
Martha Louise, a 52-year-old divorcee, claims to be a clairvoyant who can speak with angels, a gift she has shared – and profited from – in books and courses.
Verrett, 49 and from California, calls himself a “sixth-generation shaman” and sells pricey gold medallions that he says save lives.
“I’m very spiritual, it’s just so nice to be with a person who embraces it,” Martha Louise said on Instagram after the couple announced their engagement in June 2022.
The pair will tie the knot at a hotel in the hills of Geiranger, a picturesque village on the shores of a fiord on Norway’s west coast.
Festivities kicked off on September 29 with a party for the more than 350 guests, including Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria and her husband, Prince Daniel.
The couple welcomed their guests to a “meet and greet” party at a hotel in the city of Alesund. The theme of the hotel party was “sexy and cool”.
The guests, who mainly hailed from Norway and the United States, interpreted the theme as they wished, with many opting for formal wear in bright, bold colours and flashy accessories, pictures published in Norwegian media showed.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit – the bride’s sister-in-law – was photographed wearing a denim jacket, rolled-up jeans, white trainers and a medical face mask on the way into the party.
The Aftenposten newspaper described her look as “Justin Timberlake circa 2001 with a touch of coronavirus”.
According to Verrett, their nuptials are actually a renewal of the couple’s vows.
The spiritual guide, who counts Hollywood celebrities Gwyneth Paltrow and Antonio Banderas among his followers, claims he was a pharaoh in a previous life and Martha Louise was his wife.
The couple’s eccentricity has ruffled feathers in no-nonsense Norway, as has their disregard for science and their use of their royal ties for commercial gain.
To avoid confusion over her role, Martha Louise relinquished her royal duties in November 2022. She kept her title but agreed not to use it in her commercial endeavours.
She has, however, violated the agreement several times since then, most recently when she and Verrett released a “wedding gin” for sale in Norway that bore her princess title on the label.
“Seeing as the agreement has not been respected, it’s time to take away Louise’s princess title before King Harald sees his life’s work destroyed even further,” historian and royal expert Trond Norén Isaksen wrote recently.
The couple have also angered Norwegian media by signing deals with Hello! magazine and Netflix for exclusive coverage of the wedding.
Martha Louise has three daughters from her first marriage to flamboyant Norwegian author Ari Behn, who committed suicide three years after their 2016 divorce.
She is fourth in line to the Norwegian throne; her younger brother Crown Prince Haakon is due one day to succeed King Harald.
Norway’s royal family has been largely spared from scandal – until recently.
Martha Louise and Verrett have contributed to an erosion of public support for the monarchy, from 81 per cent in 2017 to 68 per cent, a poll by public broadcaster NRK showed this week.
A recent scandal involving the 27-year-old son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit – from a relationship before her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon – has also contributed.
Earlier this month, Marius Borg Hoiby admitted to a cocaine- and alcohol-fuelled assault on his girlfriend, and two ex-girlfriends have since come forward with similar claims.
Four in 10 Norwegians said their view of the royal family had grown more negative in the past year, with many citing Martha Louise, Verrett or Hoiby as the reason, the poll showed.
Martha Louise has accused the media of pursuing a witch hunt against her.
But it is Verrett who has received the most criticism, labelled a “charlatan and a quack” in the press.
In one of his books, he suggested that cancer was a choice, and recommended exercises to remove “imprints” from women’s vaginas left by previous sexual partners. On his website, he sells a US$222 “Spirit Optimizer” medallion which he says helped him overcome Covid-19.
While Verrett has acknowledged his beliefs may be unsettling for some, he claims he is a victim of racism – echoing fellow African-American Meghan Markle’s complaints after she joined Britain’s royal family.
“White people write all this hate and death threats to us … because … they don’t want to see a black man in the royal family,” he said on Instagram in June 2022.
Meanwhile, 87-year-old King Harald – who fought for years to be allowed to marry Queen Sonja, a commoner – has said little about his future son-in-law, referring only to a “culture clash”.
He has described him as “a great guy and very funny”.
“We’ve agreed to disagree” on some things, the king said in November 2022.
Additional reporting by dpa.
