Princess Märtha Louise of Norway


Princess Märtha Louise of Norway is a member of the Norwegian royal family, but is not a member of the royal house and has no public role. Märtha Louise is active within alternative therapy and spiritual practices, and is a self-described clairvoyant. She was married to Ari Behn from 2002 to 2017 and has since remarried to Durek Verrett.
A member of the House of Glücksburg, Märtha Louise was born in Oslo in 1971 to then-Prince [King King Harald V|Harald V|Harald] and the former commoner Sonja Haraldsen. At the time she had no inheritance rights to the Norwegian throne. This changed in 1990, when she was included in the line of succession to the Norwegian throne, where she is currently fourth. Her father became king in 1991.
Märtha Louise is engaged in alternative therapy and spiritual practices. From 2007 to 2018 she led her own alternative therapy centre, commonly known in Norway as the "angel school", which focused on clairvoyance and communication with angels and communication with the dead. She was married to the writer and visual artist Ari Behn from 2002 to 2017. In May 2019, she publicly announced her romantic relationship and professional collaboration with Verrett, a conspiracy theorist and self-described shaman who has served time in prison and who has been characterized by Norwegian media and other critics as a conman. Verrett was included as one of "20 famous conspiracy theorists" alongside David Icke and Alex Jones in an MSN article in 2024. As part of her withdrawal into private professional life, Märtha Louise lost the style "Royal Highness" in 2002. While the lesser style of "Highness" is sometimes used informally abroad, she holds no style in Norway itself.
She has often faced criticism in Norway for her claims of being clairvoyant and for exploiting her constitutional role and title as princess commercially. There have been frequent calls for her to relinquish her royal title and place in the line of succession. She has become relatively unpopular in Norway and has developed an antagonistic relationship with the media, leading her to declare a total boycott of Norwegian media in 2024.
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Early life

Märtha Louise was born on 22 September 1971 at The National Hospital the Oslo University Hospital in Oslo, to the then Crown Prince Harald and Crown Princess Sonja. Princess Märtha Louise was named after her late paternal grandmother and great-great-grandmother. At birth, she was not in line to the throne, because until 1990, only males could inherit the Norwegian throne. She was baptized a few months after her birth. Her godparents are King Olav V of Norway, Princess Margaretha of Sweden, Count Flemming of Rosenborg, Princess Ragnhild of Norway, Dagny Haraldsen, Haakon Haraldsen, Nils Jørgen Astrup and Ilmi Riddervold.
In 1973, Märtha Louise's younger brother, Haakon Magnus, was born. In 1990 the Norwegian constitution was altered, granting full cognatic primogeniture to the Norwegian throne, meaning that the eldest child, regardless of sex, takes precedence in the line of succession. The change affects only those born in 1990 or later. Females born between 1971 and 1990, were given succession rights, but their brothers would be before them in the line of succession, meaning that Prince Haakon still took precedence over Märtha Louise in the line of succession. After the births of her brother's two children, Ingrid Alexandra and Sverre Magnus, Märtha Louise was relegated to fourth in line.

Education and career

Märtha Louise is a certified physiotherapist, following education in Oslo and internship in Maastricht, the Netherlands. She has not practised that profession, however, but established her own commercial entertainment business giving public and televised performances reciting folk tales and singing with well-known Norwegian choirs. In December 2003, she took part in Oslo Gospel Choir's Christmas concert with a solo performance.
On 1 January 2002, Märtha Louise started her own business, in order to work with more freedom from her constitutional role as a princess. She began paying income tax, and the King, after consulting her, issued a royal edict that removed Märtha Louise's title of Royal Highness. Märtha Louise retains her place in the line of succession.
After several postponements due to family births and her father's illness, during which the princess took on some representation duties, Princess Märtha Louise and her husband moved to New York City in October 2004. In 2004, her first book, a children's story about the first royal family of Norway was released – Why Kings and Queens Don't Wear Crowns.
Märtha Louise has studied physiotherapy, trained as a Rosen therapist, and studied at an academy for holistic medicine. She claims she can communicate with animals and angels and started her own alternative therapy center named Astarte Education, after one of the oldest goddesses in the Middle East. Astarte Education offered a three-year course on healing, readings, and angels.
The princess drew criticism in Norway after the announcement that she would begin Astarte Education. In 2007, the newspaper Bergens Tidende called for her to give up her royal titles. Norwegian state director of Health Lars E. Hanssen, Norwegian alternative medicine advocate Bernt Rognlien, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, religious historian Asbjørn Dyrendal and University of Oslo theology professor Inge Lønning all expressed misgivings about the princess's plans. In 2015, Swedish author Jan Guillou questioned her mental health.
On 11 August 2007, Märtha Louise defended the school on NRK, the Norwegian public service television network. In the interview, she regarded her relationship with angels as "creatures of light, which gave her a feeling of a strong presence and a strong and loving support." She responded to criticism that she should leave the Church of Norway by stating she still considered herself a Christian that was thankful the Church still had room for her.
On 2 October 2007, Princess Märtha Louise became the first member of the Norwegian royal family to ever appear in a court of law, as she wanted to halt sales of a book entitled Martha's Angels, which used her photo on its cover without permission. She stated that she felt "commercially exploited" by the book's use of her photo, which she regarded as misuse of her name and picture. Film critic Pål Bang-Hansen stated that Märtha Louise was a "thief and hypocrite", claiming that she had stolen translated texts from his father's books.
In 2007, the Princess was editor of the book Prinsesse Märtha Louises eventyrlige verden, Eventyr fra jordens hjerte, Rodinia containing 67 fairy tales from 50 countries. In 2009, she and her Astarte Education partner Elisabeth Samnøy published Møt din skyttsengel, followed by Englenes hemmeligheter. Deres natur, språk og hvordan du åpner opp for dem.

Princess Märtha Louise's Fund

Her Royal Highness Princess Märtha Louise's Fund was founded on 15 September 1972 and awards funds to projects carried out by non-governmental organizations in order to provide assistance to disabled children under the age of 16 in Norway. Princess Märtha Louise is the fund's chairperson. In 2005, the fund had assets of approximately NOK 13,285,000, and total annual allocations came to about NOK 500,000.

Controversy

In 2014, Märtha Louise faced some criticism due to her association with British clairvoyant Lisa Williams. Williams was in Oslo on 14 September 2014 and gave a seminar for Soulspring, formerly known as the Angel School, which Märtha Louise co-founded. Williams is known for her claims that she can communicate with the deceased. The Soulspring website carried the following message: "We in Soulspring do not communicate with dead souls in our work. And here is where our work is separate from Lisa's. To be completely honest, we don't see the point of contacting the dead. They passed over to the other side for a reason and should be allowed to stay there." No one representing the royal family commented.
Märtha Louise has objected to claims that her second husband Durek Verrett didn't grow up wealthy and claimed that everyone was jealous of his family's wealth. Royal correspondent Tove Taalsen questioned why Märtha Louise places such emphasis on Verrett's alleged wealth as a child and wrote that it is out of touch with Norway's more egalitarian values. The political editor of Nettavisen Erik Stephansen criticized Märtha Louise's complaints about the coverage of her and Verrett, and wrote that she has "actively sought the spotlight with her entire family, exploited the princess title in every conceivable way – including commercially – and is now fully engaged in milking her own glamorous celebrity wedding in Geiranger for all it's worth."
Märtha Louise has faced numerous calls to cease using the title "princess" commercially and to relinquish the title altogether in light of her controversial commercial activities. Norwegians have derided her as "Princess Plenty More of Have-It-All". Critics have pointed out that the title “Princess” is not a private or personal title that can be used for private profit, but is a constitutional, public title and role awarded under the Norwegian constitution, ultimately by the Norwegian state. Editor David Stenerud wrote that Märtha "insists on being a Norwegian princess" and that this constitutional title is linked to a public role in Norway.
In 2019, the royal court announced that she would no longer use the title "Princess" in her business activities as a clairvoyant. In 2022, she relinquished her remaining royal duties to concentrate on alternative medicine. She has been criticized for continually using the title and for disregarding an agreement not to use the title "Princess" or the family connection to the royal family in any commercial activities, interviews or other public activities. A majority of Norwegians favored the removal of her title.
In 2024, Norwegian media reported on a year-long reputation management project to improve Verrett's reputation and that Märtha Louise and Verrett have demanded the removal of a quote by Prime Minister Erna Solberg that described his views as "very strange" and linked to conspiratorial thought.

Marriage and family

First marriage

On 24 May 2002, Princess Märtha Louise married author Ari Behn in Trondheim. The couple had three daughters: Maud Angelica, Leah Isadora, and Emma Tallulah, none of whom have royal titles. The family lived in Islington, London and Lommedalen, Bærum. Emma Tallulah Behn is a junior member of the national equestrian team and won a bronze medal during the Norwegian National Horse Jumping Championships in 2021.
The couple divorced in 2017. In 2016, the Royal Court had announced that Märtha Louise and Behn would have joint custody of their three daughters. Ari Behn died by suicide on Christmas Day 2019.

Second marriage

In May 2019, she announced that she was in a relationship with an American citizen, a conspiracy theorist and self-styled shaman named Durek Verrett. Verrett was included as one of "20 famous conspiracy theorists" alongside David Icke and Alex Jones in a newspaper article in 2024. He has faced strong criticism in Norway and been characterized by Norwegian media and other critics as a conman. Together, Märtha Louise and Verrett have organised seminars titled "The Princess and the Shaman," for which they also received widespread criticism. Specifically, Verrett has suggested that cancer is a matter of choice and has sold medallions, said to ward off Covid-19, online and without any scientific evidence to support such claims.
Märtha Louise has claimed she can communicate with angels. Verrett also claims to have been initiated spiritually by an American woman who calls herself "Princess Susana von Radić of Croatia", whom the fact-checking site Vantrú describes as "a fraud who claims to be a princess."
In June 2022, Märtha Louise announced that she and Verrett were engaged. They married in a private ceremony on 31 August 2024 in Geiranger. Verrett and Märtha Louise sold the rights to the wedding to a British tabloid. Norwegian media described the wedding as "comical" and "embarrassing," sparking outrage over perceived greed and betrayal of Norwegian traditions and the taxpayers who fund the monarchy. The decision to conceal themselves in a plastic tent and behind a curtain to prevent anyone but tabloid photographers from "Hello!" magazine from capturing images of their wedding was widely criticized as a display of "shame and greed." At the marriage ceremony in 2024, media reported that the king was made to wait in a car for 43 minutes. Norwegian media criticized King Harald V for legitimizing and endorsing the exploitation of national values and symbols for Märtha Louise's and Durek Verrett's personal financial gain.
The newspaper iTromsø noted that Märtha Louise has faced extensive criticism for associating with a conspiracy theorist and her "commercialization and abuse of the title 'Princess'". Royal historian Trond Norén Isaksen said that "for the sake of the monarchy's integrity and reputation, it is absolutely necessary to sever the formal ties with Princess Märtha Louise" and that it is necessary "to revoke the princess title that Märtha Louise has exploited to its fullest extent. The royal family cannot be for sale." Bergens Tidende wrote that her title must be removed.
Märtha Louise's marriage to Verett, who is a Black American, has generated controversy. Märtha Louise has accused former friends of racism for their criticism of Verrett. Verrett's sister, Demi DeLaNuit, criticized Märtha Louise for abusing her title to intimidate her. In November 2024, Norwegian media published recordings of Verrett where he admitted to sexual assault and "sucking the cock" of his clients during shamanistic sessions, and claimed that his wife knew about his actions. The royal family's association with Verrett has been cited as contributing to a deterioration in its reputation. Political scientist Torvald Valland Therkildsen described the royal family as a parody that is a source of embarrassment to Norway. Märtha Louise and Verrett were featured in the Netflix documentary Rebel Royals, in which Verrett accused the Norwegian royal family of not being aware of racism. The royal family said the documentary violated an agreement not to use the couple's connection to the royal family.

Netflix documentary

Märtha Louise and her second husband Durek Verrett were featured in the Netflix documentary Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story, in which Verrett said he had not been welcomed with open arms by the royal family, and that King Harald, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon "didn't know what racism was" and that "they looked at me as if I were crazy when I said that racism existed." Verrett said the first time that King Harald asked about his experiences of racism was when Oprah with Meghan and Harry aired, and that "they didn't want a family discussion because they didn't want to treat me that way. They wanted to have a family discussion because they were afraid I might be the next one on Oprah." The royal family said the documentary violated Märtha Louise's and Verrett's agreement with the royal family not to use her title or connection to the royal family.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles and styles

  • 1971–2002: Her Royal Highness Princess Märtha Louise of Norway
  • 2002–present: Her Highness Princess Märtha Louise of Norway
On 8 November 2022, Märtha Louise announced that she will no longer have royal duties within the Norwegian royal house but will retain the title of Princess of Norway.

Honours

National

Foreign