OSLO (Reuters) – Norway’s Princess Martha Louise married her long-term companion, American religious guru Durek Verrett, on Saturday in a ceremony attended by the Norwegian king and different royalty however marked by what critics noticed as commercialisation of the occasion.
The marriage was the end result of three days of festivities to honour Martha Louise, 52, fourth in line to the throne, and Verrett, 49, a self-styled shaman from California, after the couple first introduced their relationship in 2019.
The couple had been joined within the picturesque western city of Geiranger by royals from Sweden and Norway in addition to buddies, social media influencers and Norwegian celebrities.
Martha Louise, the daughter of King Harald and Queen Sonja, stepped down from official royal duties in 2022 to permit her to extra freely pursue her personal enterprise ventures, and stated each she and Verrett would chorus from utilizing her title as princess in a business setting.
However the couple has confronted criticism from the Palace and members of parliament for linking business actions to Martha Louise’s royal standing.
At a media occasion staged by a liquor firm in June, the couple launched a particular pink gin for the marriage, with the label bearing the names of Martha Louise and Verrett on the again of the bottle, and a pink monogram invented for the event.
Norwegian well being authorities dominated this week that the advertising of the drink was inappropriate.
Martha Louise’s first marriage, to Norwegian creator Ari Behn, with whom she had three youngsters, resulted in divorce in 2017.
Saturday’s wedding ceremony, in a big out of doors tent, was open solely to media sponsoring the occasion and was not broadcast on tv, in distinction to the princess’ first wedding ceremony in 2002 that was held on the nation’s largest cathedral.
Martha Louise stirred controversy in 2007 when she introduced she was clairvoyant and had began a college to assist individuals by educating them learn how to speak to angels.
Verrett turns into a part of the nation’s prolonged royal household, as designated by the Palace, however not of the core Royal Home of Norway, which incorporates solely the monarch and the subsequent two in line to the throne in addition to their spouses. He’ll subsequently not turn into a prince.
