Märtha Louise is not your average princess. Yes, she may be fourth in line to the throne of Norway (following a ground breaking revision of the country's succession laws), but the 52-year-old has always marched to the beat of her own royal drum. Whether its her self-professed ‘Angel School’, where she offered lessons in communing with heavenly beings, her Sussexian relinquishing of royal titles, or the so-called shaman she is soon to marry, Märtha Louise's life has been spent on an alternative course to what we might expect from monarchy. Now, as she looks forward to tying the knot with Durek Verrett later this week – in a ceremony that is a long time coming, considering the pair claim to have met during a past life in ancient Egypt – Tatler looks back on this most unique of royal journeys.
The couple, who are due to be married at the end of August, gave a gushing tribute on a Norwegian podcast
Her royal birth
Born on 22 September 1971 in Oslo, Princess Märtha Louise was the first child of the then Crown Prince Harald and Crown Princess Sonja of Norway. She was named after her paternal grandmother, Crown Princess Märtha, and her great-great-grandmother, Queen Louise, mother of King Haakon VII. Despite being the first-born child of the Crown Prince, she did not feature in the order of succession at the time of her birth, because constitutional law at the time dictated that only males could inherit the Norwegian throne.
The establishment of Princess Märtha Louise’s Fund
In 1972, when the young princess was just shy of her first birthday, a special fund was established in her name, launched ‘to provide assistance to children with disabilities under the age of 16 in Norway’ (as explained on the Royal House of Norway’s website). Initially set up with a capital of NOK 75,000, the return on the fund’s investments is awarded to projects carried out by NGOs, with the allocation of grants each year coinciding with the princess’s birthday on 22 September.
A change in the order of succession
Prince Haakon Magnus, Märtha Louise’s younger brother, was born in 1973 (later becoming Crown Prince on the death of his grandfather, King Olav V, in 1991). The Norwegian constitution was changed in 1990, switching to a system of full cognatic primogeniture – meaning the eldest child, regardless of their gender, takes precedence. The alteration was not retroactive, so Märtha Louise did not take up her brother’s place as future heir to the throne. Females born between 1971 and 1990, however, were granted succession rights after their brothers, meaning Märtha Louise is today fourth in line to the throne (having shifted down the order following the birth of Haakon’s children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus).
Her early years
Märtha Louise and her brother grew up at the royal Skaugum Estate near Oslo, where her parents are said to have ‘attached great importance to giving their children an upbringing that was as similar as possible to that of other Norwegian children’. The royal siblings attended a municipal day-care centre and a local primary school, with the young princess displaying an early aptitude for singing, music and dancing (she was part of a choir, played the flute and performed in a folk dancing group at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History), as well as being a keen horsewoman.
An entrepreneurial streak
With her early enthusiasm for dancing and equestrian sports, the princess has always had an interest in physical wellbeing. A certified physiotherapist, she trained in Oslo and Maastricht in the Netherlands, before channelling her passion for Norwegian folk tales and performing to set up her own entertainment business: encompassing a ‘storytelling series’ on national TV and performing with respected Norwegian choirs. Her verve for entrepreneurialism has also seen her publish books, run classes, launch a YouTube channel and collaborate on beauty and clothing lines. The Royal Court’s website makes clear that since launching her ‘independent professional activities in the cultural sphere and as a Rosen therapist [trained under the principles of German-American physiotherapist Marion Rosen]’ in 2002, Märtha Louise has been classified as ‘self-employed’ and is therefore ‘subject to Norwegian tax laws’.
She loses her ‘Royal Highness’ styling and reduces her royal activities
In January 2002, in conjunction with the expansion of her business ambitions and the commencement of her taxpayer status, the princess also began to shift away from her constitutional royal role. After consulting his daughter, King Harald, who acceded to the throne in 1991, removed her ‘Royal Highness’ styling and her official duties were reduced, enabling her to have more freedom in pursuing her independent ventures.
Later, in 2007, the Princess would go on to found the controversial alternative therapy centre, which would be nicknamed the ‘angel school’ in the Norwegian press. A self-proclaimed clairvoyant with the supposed power to commune with angels and animals, Märtha Louise said she hoped to impart her gifts to willing students through the centre. In the introduction to her book The Secret of Angels, co-written with Elisabeth Nordeng, the Princess reassured readers that ‘there are an infinite number of angels all around us who want to help us in all circumstances and at all times.’ She had, apparently, first understood these powers while tending to the horses she rode during her show jumping career.
She marries and starts a family
2002 was a big year for Märtha Louise in more ways than one. Following her engagement to Ari Behn, a Norwegian author, playwright and artist, in 2001, the couple were wed the following spring, in a glittering ceremony at Trondheim’s Nidaros Cathedral on 24 May. The couple went on to have three daughters together: Maud Angelica (born in 2003), Leah Isadora (2005) and Emma Tallulah (2008).
The family move across the globe
During their years as young parents Märtha Louise and Ari Behn spent periods living around the world in New York City and North London. They eventually returned to Norway and settled in Lommedalen, a pretty rural valley in the county of Akershus.
Märtha Louise’s divorce
After publicly announcing their decision to separate in 2016, the princess and Ari Behn formally divorced in 2017. In a stroke of tragedy for the family, Behn, who had grappled with alcoholism and mental health issues, took his own life on Christmas Day in 2019. The sad news was publicly announced by the Norwegian royals, with King Harald and Queen Sonja expressing their ‘great sorrow’, lamenting that three of their granddaughters had ‘lost their dear pappa’. In her address at the funeral, Maud Angelica delivered what has been called one of the most powerful public speeches in Norway's recent history.
Her relationship with Durek Verrett
In May 2019, the princess announced that she was dating Durek Verett: a sixth-generation shaman, writer and alternative therapist, whose unorthodox views and jail time have caused plenty of raised eyebrows. Earning a living as a ‘bridge between the spiritual and physical plane,’ Durek’s shamanic practice has endorsements from countless A-listers, (Gwyneth Paltrow considers him a ‘soul brother’), and a one-to-one session bags him anywhere from £320 to £800.
Another of his clients? Princess Märtha Louise. Initially introduced by their mutual friend Millana Snow, the pair began collaborating professionally, soon running seminars entitled, ‘The Princess and the Shaman’. It wasn’t long before Durek and Märtha Louise began dating – and their relationship has had its fair share of all-too-public controversy.
In the early days of their romance, Märtha Louise spent time with Verrett promoting his latest spiritual guidance tome, Spirit Hacking: Shamanic keys to reclaim your personal power, transform yourself and light up the world. At the launch event in LA, Märtha Louise was full of effusive praise for her beau's book: ‘I find that on every page there's something new to ponder upon, like a surprise or an in-depth new door opening,’ she told DailyMailTV. ‘I see how it can inspire us to open up to our own powers.’ Shortly after the two got engaged in June 2022, Verrett – who counts Gwyneth Paltrow among his clients – was dropped by his publisher over alleged pseudoscientific claims in Spirit Hacking, which included suggesting that cancer is a choice, caused by ‘negative thoughts’.
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Many consider Verrett a conspiracy theorist after he claimed to have foreseen the September 11 attacks, but said that it was not his role to intervene. In 2021, he stated that he considers himself to be ‘a hybrid species of reptilian and Andromeda’ and also claimed to ‘hold the energies of the ancient spirits from the old world’. He has made even wilder claims since embarking on his relationship with Märtha Louise, telling People magazine that he believes the two of them have been reincarnated from a past life as Egyptian rulers: ‘When we’re together and I look at [Märtha Louise], sometimes I see another face,’ he said. ‘And she sees it in me, too. I have memories of us in Egypt, and she was my queen and I was a pharaoh.’
The couple announced their engagement in June 2022, with Verrett writing on Instagram: ‘I’m overjoyed with tears that I get to spend the rest of my life with the most pure hearted, angelic, wise, powerhouse woman who represents all levels of a goddess in my eyes. Together as a soulful spiritual couple, we will use our power to support the people to create a world based in love and acceptance.’
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Märtha Louise leaves royal life behind
On 8 November 2022, the princess made a Sussex-style step down from her royal role. It was announced that the princess would relinquish her duties in order to create ‘a clearer distinction between her own activities and the association with the Royal House’. She would no longer be a royal patron for various organisations and the couple would not ‘employ the title of princess or refer to members of the Royal House in their social media channels, in media productions or in connection with other commercial activities’, with the exception of Märtha Louise’s Instagram handle. The Royal House of Norway also alluded to ‘the racist attitudes that Durek Verrett has had to contend with, especially on social media’, stressing that they ‘deplore’ such views and ‘consider it a strength that the Royal House reflects Norway’s ethnic diversity.’
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Taking to Instagram in the wake of the news, the princess added that ‘the process with the family has been amicable and loving’. She also explained that Verrett will not receive a title on their marriage, before stressing: ‘We both believe in the school of medicine, but that alternative medicine can be a great supplement in addition to school medicine.’ In her family’s statements, meanwhile, they added that ‘members of the Royal House of Norway have great confidence in the Norwegian health service and the Norwegian health authorities.’
‘There’s been so much turmoil with me, you know, taking a different path than being a traditional royal,’ she later told The Times. ‘There’s been a lot of criticism through the years, especially with me being spiritual, and in Norway that’s taboo.’ She added, referencing Verrett's controversial beliefs, that ‘the Norwegian people I guess... have decided it's best for me to step down because of his views about things.’ These days, Märtha Louise no longer represents her father or the royal household; although she retains her title of ‘princess’, she must not use it for commercial gain.
In the wake of the news, certain sections of the Norwegian press felt that Märtha Louise was continuing to commercially benefit from her royal title, deriding her as ‘Princess Plenty More of Have-It-All’.
The run up to a royal wedding
It is now less than a week to go until Märtha Louise and Verrett tie the knot at the historic Hotel Union in Geiranger, one of Norway's most picturesque locations. The couple are remaining tight-lipped about arrangements: one photograph of the newlyweds will be shared with the media, and the rest of the event, including the guest list and programme, will be kept secret.
So what do we know? It's set to be a three-day celebration, with the dress code for one night calling for guests to look ‘sexy and cool'. The monogram is a combination of their initials, styled in the manner of Egyptian hieroglyphs to reference their claimed history as royals in ancient Egypt.
The King and Queen, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit are likely to be in attendance, though it's been speculated that many high-profile European royals will skip the occasion. ‘It is indeed my impression that the foreign royal houses are not too keen on being part of this circus, as it has become commonly known,’ wrote Norwegian historian and author, Trond Norén Isaksen, on his Instagram page. According to royal watcher ChristinZ, though, the Royal Court of Sweden have confirmed that Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel will be on the starry guest list.
A long-simmering controversy ignited after it was announced that the pair had sold the coverage rights for their three-day celebration to Hello! magazine. They are also said to have signed a deal with Netflix for an exclusive documentary, and a film crew has been spotted following the couple – with some of the team linked to past projects that have streamed on the platform.
In a swift and robust response, the communication manager at Norway's Royal Household, Guri Varpe, told local broadcaster NRK that the royal family would not allow themselves to be photographed by the couple's chosen organisations, because it denies other outlets fair access.
Christina Dorthellinger, news editor at Norwegian outlet NTB, spoke of the massive shockwaves triggered by this decision ‘It is historic if we do not have that access. We have been to all major public events and celebrations and anniversaries related to the Norwegian royal house ever since King Haakon arrived in Norway in November 1905.’
