Norway’s Princess Märtha Louise weds US man claiming 6th-generation shaman

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Durek Verrett, a California-based self-styled shaman, celebrated their wedding on August 31 in an unconventional royal ceremony.

The event took place in the picturesque town of Geiranger, Norway, the princess’s home country. The bride is the eldest child of Norway’s King Harald V, and Verrett is better known as Shaman Durek.

Hello! Magazine reported that around 350 guests were in attendance, and a Netflix documentary crew was present, following the couple’s announcement of an upcoming documentary about their love story. Since the beginning of their relationship, the couple has faced significant controversy.

Märtha Louise, 52, who is fourth in line to the Norwegian throne, and Verrett, 49, announced their relationship in 2019. They began dating two years after Märtha Louise’s divorce from her late first husband, Ari Behn, the father of her three children.

The couple, who got engaged in 2022, have been criticized for leveraging the princess’s royal status in their commercial ventures. In 2019, they hosted a series of spiritual seminars titled “The Princess and the Shaman”.

In 2022, Märtha Louise announced she would step down from her official royal duties to focus on her activities with Verrett and to “distinguish more clearly between their activities and the royal house of Norway.”

Märtha Louise has previously spoken candidly about her experiences in an interracial relationship. She recounted to Business Insider in 2021 that being with Verrett made her realize her “white privilege” and opened her eyes to subtle forms of racism. She noted, “It’s how people look at him … even in elevators or on the street, they clasp their handbags closer.”

She added, “He also gets death threats from people saying, ‘Why are you with the white devil?'”

On his website, Verrett describes himself as a “sixth-generation shaman” and has been popular among celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow. Nevertheless, he has stirred controversy with his alternative views on healing and wellness.

According to NBC News, in his 2019 book “Spirit Hacking,” Verrett claimed that children get cancer because they “want” it and alleged that casual sex “attracts underworld entities,” which he said are the source of all sexually transmitted diseases. Verrett also sells a $222 “spirit optimizer” on his website, which he claims aided his recovery from COVID-19.

Despite this, King Harald of Norway has expressed his approval, calling the shaman “a great guy,” according to the BBC.

Märtha Louise has also claimed to possess clairvoyant abilities and ran a school that purportedly taught students to communicate with angels and “create miracles” until 2018, per the BBC.

Following the wedding, Verrett will not receive a royal title. The Netflix documentary crew has been following the couple for over a year in preparation for the wedding, as stated in a press release from the company.

Representatives for Netflix and the project’s director, Rebecca Chaiklin, known for her work on “Tiger King,” did not comment on the situation when contacted by Business Insider outside of regular working hours.

Source: Business Insider