Norway's Princess Märtha Louise marries a US man who says he's a 6th-generation shaman in a one-of-a-kind royal wedding
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- The wedding of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Durek Verrett took place on August 31.
- Verrett says on his website that he is a sixth-generation shaman.
- He has received criticism for his controversial views on health matters.
Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Durek Verrett, a self-styled shaman from California, married on August 31 in a rather unconventional royal wedding.
The eldest child of Norway's King Harald V and Verrett — who goes by Shaman Durek — tied the knot in the scenic town of Geiranger in the princess's home country, according to Hello! Magazine.
The British celebrity magazine — to which the couple sold the wedding photo rights — reported that around 350 guests attended the nuptials.
According to multiple reports, a Netflix documentary crew was also in tow following the recent announcement that the streaming platform is producing a documentary about the couple's love story, which has been mired in controversy since it began.
Märtha Louise, 52, who is fourth in line to the Norwegian throne, and Verrett, 49, first announced their relationship in 2019, two years after the princess divorced Ari Behn, her late first husband and the father of her three children.
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Märtha Louise and Verrett, who got engaged in 2022, have faced criticism for using the princess's royal status in their commercial activities, such as when they hosted spiritual seminars in 2019 titled "The Princess and the Shaman."
In 2022, Märtha Louise said in a statement that she would step down from official royal duties to focus on her and Verret's activities and "distinguish more clearly between their activities and the royal house of Norway."
Märtha Louise has also previously opened up about what it has been like to be in an interracial relationship.
"I never thought of myself as racist before I got together with Durek, and suddenly to expand that vision and acknowledge that I actually have white privilege — it was such an eye-opener for me," Märtha Louise told Business Insider in 2021. "I also see through his eyes that racism isn't just the obvious headlines, it's the subtle energies. It's how people look at him ... even in elevators or on the street, they clasp their handbags closer."
She added: "It's from both sides, you know. He also gets death threats from people saying, 'Why are you with the white devil?' and all that."
Verrett, who describes himself as a "sixth-generation shaman" on his website and is a favorite among celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, has also been called out for his controversial alternative views on healing and wellness.
According to NBC News, Verrett said in his 2019 book "Spirit Hacking" that children get cancer because they "want" it and claimed that casual sex "attracts underworld entities" that are "the origin point for all sexually transmitted diseases."
On his website, Verrett also sells a $222 "spirit optimizer," which he says helped him recover from COVID-19.
Nevertheless, Norway's King Harald has previously said he thought the shaman was "a great guy," per the BBC.
For her part, Märtha Louise has reportedly claimed to be a clairvoyant and ran a school that supposedly taught students to talk to angels and "create miracles" until 2018, the BBC reported.
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Märtha Louise and Verrett — who will not get a royal title following the wedding — allowed Netflix cameras to follow them for more than a year as they prepared for the wedding, according to a press release from the company.
Representatives for Netflix and the director of the project, Rebecca Chaiklin (of "Tiger King" fame), did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, which was sent outside regular working hours.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/q6crYTy
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