Princess Märtha Louise’s Daughter Maud Had a Special Role at Her Wedding

Märtha Louise of Norway called on her eldest daughter Maud to play a very important role at her wedding to shaman Durek Verrett last weekend.

Märtha, who shares her eldest child Maud, as well as her two younger daughters Leah and Emma with her late husband Ari Behn, asked her firstborn to do the honors of giving her away.

The wedding, which was exclusively covered by HELLO! magazine and attended by 350 guests from around the world, saw Märtha walk down the aisle at Hotel Union in Geiranger, western Norway.

Her daughters Leah, 19, and Emma, 16, walked into the marquee first, looking resplendent in shimmering gold dresses made by budding young Norwegian designer Rikke Boe.

They were followed by Märtha’s seven bridesmaids in pink dresses alongside Durek’s seven groomsmen, and flower girls Astral, Ava, and Cornelia, who scattered rose petals down the aisle.

© Maja Moan

Finally, last in the procession were the bride and her eldest daughter Maud, 21, who was also dressed in gold and proudly gave her mother away, pulling back her mother’s veil as they reached Durek.

Märtha, 52, is the eldest child of King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway and at her first wedding to Norwegian author Ari, her father walked her down the aisle at the historic Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway.

Märtha and Ari were married from 2002 to 2017; her first husband sadly took his own life in 2019.

Märtha is incredibly close to her three grown-up daughters. Both she and Durek referenced them in their deeply personal vows during Saturday’s ceremony.

© Alamy

Fighting back tears, Märtha said: “I promise to love you with all my heart. I promise to take responsibility for my emotions. I promise to love you because I know you know that my girls come first.”

Durek, likewise, said: “I promise to always listen to your wisdom. I promise to always hold space for you and your daughters and listen to them as well. I promise to love you with my last breath.”

Speaking exclusively to HELLO!, the groom, 49, also opened up about his relationship with his new stepdaughters, saying: “I’ve always wanted children. Over the years we’ve built a lovely relationship that’s our own.”

“It’s amazing, they all get on really well,” added Märtha.

© Getty

In the couple’s pre-wedding interview with HELLO!, shaman Durek also spoke about how forming a relationship with Märtha’s three girls had been his priority from day one.

“Dating a woman with children, you have to be responsible,” he said. “If it doesn’t work out, it’s not fair to them. I wanted to make sure we would get on, so I spent time with them.”

“I took them to Universal Studios in LA and introduced them to my family. As I got to know them and their different personalities, it was like seeing elements of Märtha. It’s taken years to build trust and a relationship that is our own.”

“As a couple, our priority is the kids. We believe in being hands-on parents, so they always come first.”

Source: HELLO!