Photo Credit: Cornelius Poppe/EPA
Norwegian Princess Märtha Louise and her American partner, self-styled shaman Durek Verrett are set to Wed as festivities begin. Hundreds of guests arrived in the town of Alesund, in western Norway, on Thursday for a “meet and greet” in a historic hotel.
On Friday, they were travelling by sea to the scenic town of Geiranger, on the shores of a fjord designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. The wedding programme says guests will enjoy a light lunch on the boat while witnessing the majestic mountains and waterfalls". The couple will then tie the knot at a private event on Saturday.
Members of the Swedish royal family are said to be attending alongside various social media influencers and TV personalities, including US reality star and model Cynthia Bailey. According to Norwegian media, guests have been asked not to use mobile phones or cameras during the celebrations and not to post anything on social media.
Princess Märtha Louise, 52, and Mr Verrett, 49, announced their engagement in 2022. The princess – a former equestrian and the eldest of Norwegian King Harald’smtwo children – was previously married to the late writer and artist Ari Behn, with whom she had three daughters - Maud, Leah and Emma. The two divorced in 2017. Mr Behn, who had discussed suffering from depression, died on Christmas Day 2019.
Märtha Louise has long attracted controversy in Norway for decades for her involvement in alternative treatments. She lost her honorific “Her Royal
Highness” title in 2002 so as to be allowed to start her own business. In 2007, she announced she was clairvoyant and, until 2018, ran a school which she said taught students to “create miracles” and talk to angels. Last year, Märtha Louise said that there had been so much “turmoil” concerning her decision to take a different path than that of a “traditional royal”.
Meanwhile, Mr Verrett says on his site that he is a sixth generation shaman, “servant of god and energy activator” who “demystifies spirituality” through his “no-nonsense teachings”.
In an interview with Vanity Fair magazine, he claimed to have risen from the dead and said that when he was a child a relative had predicted he would one day marry the princess of Norway. The two are expected to tie the knot on Saturday at a private event.
