The Tragic Life Of Princess Märtha Louise Of Norway

The following article contains mentions of suicide and sexual assault.

Royal fever was at an all-time high when Princess Catherine married Prince William. Not to mention, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from their duties it sent gossip columns into a frenzy. But while the English monarchy has drawn quite a following, other royal families around the world have made their fair share of headlines. This is especially true for the Norwegian monarchy, and in particular, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway whose public image has evolved dramatically over the years.

As the eldest child of King Harald V and Queen Sonja, it was clear the princess was destined for a lavish life, despite her parents' wishes to provide her and her brother with as normal an upbringing as possible. However, Märtha Louise has since endured several devastating events, including a string of controversies that have made her dealings with the public undoubtedly more difficult. From the public's speculation over her spiritualistic beliefs, her relationships, calls for her to forfeit her title, and the heartbreaking outcome of her first marriage, here is the tragic life of Märtha Louise.

When Princess Märtha Louise of Norway was born on 22 September 1971, the monarchy's tradition still called for the first male heir to succeed the throne. "The first thing that happened when I was born was basically, 'Oh my god, it's a girl. What do we do?'" Märtha Louise told Business Insider Nederland in December 2020. "I was basically a problem from when I was born."

Her brother, Crown Prince Haakon, was born in 1973 and named the Norwegian throne's successor. While a constitutional amendment did eventually allow for any first-born child, no matter their gender, to become the rightful heir, this rule change didn't affect those born before 1990. However, Märtha Louise had actually been relieved when she learned she would never become queen. "For me, I was like, 'Phew.' It is a lot of pressure, and it really is a life that you need to choose and be committed to 100%," she explained.

Since Haakon was named successor to the throne, his two children also surpassed Märtha Louise, making her fourth in line. "I'm very happy that my brother is next in line, and he's doing an amazing job," she assured Business Insider Nederland.

It seems that Princess Märtha Louise of Norway's interests don't fall in line with what's expected of the royal family. In the ninety's, after studying physiotherapy, she became involved in Rosen therapy and took a step back from her royal duties. This form of alternative treatment utilizes physical touch and verbal communication to alleviate physical tension and emotional distress. Many royals have side hustles to make more money, so Märtha Louise's interest in other ventures wasn't initially an issue. That is until the princess described herself as a clairvoyant.

In August 2007, Märtha Louise co-founded the Astarte Education Center with Elisabeth Nordeng. It was dubbed the "angel school," as the alternative education center promised to teach students how to communicate with angels. "I've always been interested in alternative forms of treatment," she said in a statement posted on the center's website (via Reuters). Märtha Louise went on to explain how she learned she was clairvoyant as a child. "It was while I dealt with horses that I first got in touch with angels," the princess remarked. "I later came to understand the value of this enormous gift and would like to share it with others."

Märtha Louise's beliefs don't align with everyone's, but the main reason behind the criticism was that she utilized her title to promote her business venture. In addition, the Astarte Education Center charged students 72,000 NOK ($6,500) to complete the three-year program.

Back in 2002, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway faced public backlash for marrying author and artist Ari Behn. As a commoner, he wasn't deemed to be an inappropriate match for a royal, but they followed through with a stunning ceremony at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim anyway. Märtha Louise and Behn had three daughters during their marriage: Maud Angelica, Leah Isadora, and Emma Tallulah.

Ten years after they tied the knot, the royal couple left Norway in favor of London in an attempt to leave the increased public scrutiny of their relationship behind. However, despite trying their best to make things work, Märtha Louise and Behn sadly filed for divorce in 2016, and it was finalized the following year. In a statement released by the royal palace (via People) at the time, the princess said, "It's unspeakably sad for both of us to discover that the road ahead doesn't run as it once did." Märtha Louise explained that she and her ex-husband had simply grown apart, adding, "We've tried everything over a long period of time ... but it's impossible for us to go on." Behn, however, remained quiet regarding their separation.

Fortunately for their children, the exes decided to share joint custody of Maud, Leah, and Emma, but they would continue to live with Märtha Louise so as to not disrupt their schooling. "The marriage is over, but we stand together as parents." the princess added in her statement.

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway has established herself as a surprisingly successful businesswoman, from her work on television programs to partnering on a clothing brand and authoring several books. However, her "angel school," which she renamed Soulspring in 2015, is probably her most spoken-about venture due to its claims of helping people get in touch with angels. "There are an infinite number of angels all around us who want to help us in all circumstances and at all times," Märtha Louise and her business partner Elisabeth Nordeng wrote in their book "The Secrets of Angels."

In addition, the princess conducted hypersensitivity classes and even held a seminar about getting in touch with the dead, which featured Lisa Williams, a self-professed psychic who attests to having been sent by God. While Märtha Louise said that she didn't see the benefit of bringing mediumship into her education center, she wasn't closed off to the idea.

While the school saw NOK 3.7 million ($328,136) in profit in 2016, and both Märtha Louise and Nordeng took out dividends to pay themselves as members of the board, the next couple of years saw quite a dip. This led the business partners to come to the difficult decision of closing down the "angel school" in 2018. Around this same time, Märtha Louise sold the home her grandfather passed down to her, leading to scrutiny over her apparent money troubles.

The public has long been critical of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and her unorthodox business ventures. But when she began dating conspiracy theorist, convicted felon, and self-professed shaman Derek Verrett in 2018, they became something of a laughing stock in the Norwegian media. Not only was Märtha Louise still promoting her spiritual practices, but her Californian beau (whose theories involved kids wishing cancer upon themselves and 9/11 predictions) also acted as a spiritual guide of sorts.

In 2019, the two went on a speaking tour to share their insights on life, love, and change. The problem? Märtha Louise was utilizing her title "princess," and because she was earning money from these talks, it was argued she should relinquish her title when working commercially.

"The discussions are something I have taken seriously, and in collaboration with my family we have found that it is best that we make some changes," she wrote in an August 2019 Instagram post. Märtha Louise explained that she'd remove her title from all of her business ventures, and wouldn't profit from her royal status per King Harald V's orders. However, this, unfortunately, didn't stop her title of princess from appearing on the label of a gin launched in 2024 to commemorate her wedding to Verrett, for which she was promptly investigated.

While there have been many royal exes who have passed away, Ari Behn's death was undeniably tragic. After Princess Märtha Louise Of Norway and his divorce, following 14 years of marriage, the author released his final book titled "Inferno." The work detailed Behn's alcohol addiction, issues with mental health, and struggles with his public image.

In promoting his book, Behn told VG, "'I'm a clown, at worst. At best, I am a publicist and a public actor. For many, I'm a fool." The author's sadness made for a compelling angle in the artistic sense, but who could say how much of it was based in reality until Behn tragically ended his own life on Christmas Day of 2019. During a 2023 interview with the BBC (via Daily Mail), Märtha Louise revealed, "[Behn's] mental health depended a lot on him getting criticism in the media. But I am not saying it was anyone's fault."

It's true that he was often condemned in the press, from his travelogue hosting gig that briefly depicted him standing near sex workers to his allegations of sexual misconduct against Kevin Spacey. "The press took self-criticism after he died," the princess continued. "That they were perhaps a little harsh towards him, and that he only received criticism and was actually a very nice person."

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Unfortunately, racism isn't anything new, but the way it's impacted people of color within the royal family is something that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have brought to light in recent years. It seems Princess Märtha Louise of Norway followed suit in June of 2020, as she spoke out against the racist treatment she'd seen of her then-fiancé, Durek Verrett.

In the Instagram post, she wrote, "We have both received death threats for being together and have weekly been told that we shame our people and families for choosing each other." Alongside a sweet black and white photo of the couple, Märtha Louise also claimed the press had painted Verrett as "a liar, being violent, and a threat to my family and myself," adding that this treatment from media outlets was racist. While several comments beneath the post were supportive of the princess' defense of her partner, she believes her words led the press to turn on her.

During a January 2021 interview with Business Insider, Märtha Louise remarked, "In Norway, [racism is] very in your face." She went on to say that, despite becoming accustomed to the hateful words, she finds it challenging to deal with. "You have to continue even though there are lots of people who seem to be against you in the press, because behind that there are people who support you and get what you're saying through all that noise."

Over the years, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway has slowly distanced herself more and more from her royal status. Back in 2002, she relinquished her title of "royal highness" and the monetary allowance that came with her status to pursue her media and business ventures. Then, of course, she was ordered to refrain from profiting commercially from her title of "princess." But finally, in November of 2022, Märtha Louise officially stepped away from her royal duties ahead of her wedding to Durek Verrett.

While she would still be in attendance at family gatherings, it was deemed that the princess would no longer represent the Royal House. In a statement released by the Norwegian family (via CNN), "This is intended to draw a dividing line that more clearly separates commercial activity from the Royal House of Norway." However, per her father's wishes, Märtha Louise would still retain the title of princess.

Because of the remarkable similarities between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's step back from the royal family, Märtha Louise's relinquishment of her royal duties was dubbed "Norway's Megxit" — with the original Megxit being brought up all over again.  It could be argued that the princess' controversial interests shined a poor light on Norway's royal family and diminished the monarchy's credibility, and many believe this could've been a leading reason behind her decision to step away.

Despite public opinion, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Durek Verrett announced their engagement in June 2022 and seemed thrilled to finally start their lives together. The couple remained schtum regarding any specific wedding plans for some time, but sadly, Verrett's long-term illness put the ceremony on hold. The self-professed shaman has reportedly suffered from severe kidney disease for nearly 30 years, and some sort of flare-up caused him and Märtha Louise to push back their wedding.

While speaking on author Roxie Nafousi's podcast "The Moments That Made Me" (36:22) in March of 2020, Verrett gave some insight into his health issues, saying that at one point in his 20's, his condition literally killed him. "When I died, it was a very horrible death. Very painful," he said. "I had high blood pressure, just like my father and grandfather, but I never took it seriously. So, it destroyed my kidneys, and I went into cardiac arrest." After being declared dead for about four and a half minutes, according to Verrek, he was thankfully revived. However, the spiritual healer had brain damage which, as he said, forced him to remain in a wheelchair for two years and receive dialysis for eight years while he recovered.

Finally, after spending over two years engaged, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Shaman Durek tied the knot in September 2024. Although the couple faced an incredible amount of controversy together, surely their stunning wedding day would be incident-free, right? Well, unless you were reading Hello! magazine's synopsis, to which the couple sold exclusive rights to their wedding coverage (as well as Netflix for an upcoming documentary about the couple), decidedly not.

Generally, a royal wedding generates enough public interest that photos will be distributed to the public for free. However, it seems Märtha Louise and Verrek saw a cash grab and took it. In turn, the public's response was less than kind.

The Norwegian media had a field day with the spectacle that was Märtha Louise and Verrek's wedding, as it was mocked by a number of outlets. "The princess's tunneling behind white sheets to hide her wedding dress even after the wedding, that's embarrassing stuff," VG writer Astrid Meland wrote, referring to a wall of fabric held up to keep photographers from snapping photos. Royal expert Trond Norén Isaksen told TV2 at the time, "The word that fits best is probably 'comical.'"

There are a lot of things about Princess Märtha Louise of Norway's controversial husband Durek Verrett that raise people's eyebrows. From the mystery of his upbringing and level of wealth to his conspiracy theories, not everyone is buying what Verrett is selling. However, when accusations against Verrett surfaced, the already intense speculation around his relationship with Märtha Louise heightened.

Joakim Boström came forward with claims that Verrett had sexually assaulted him during a spiritual session. The "shaman" denied the allegations, but not long after, a Norwegian outlet, Se og Hør, published scathing audio recordings of Verrett allegedly admitting to more than what Boström had accused him of. "I have this part of me that just doesn't restrain myself," he said in one of the voice notes.

Verrett went on to say that he'd "crossed the line" with five of his clients, including performing oral sex on one of them. To make matters worse, he said that Märtha Louise is aware of all the things he's done and had been helping him "process through these sides." However, the princess has yet to speak publicly about the allegations against her husband.

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