Engagement of Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett: June 7, 2022

[Prinsara]

Now is up to the government to set this couple up straight that they can marry but she is not going to be part of the succession line if they reject this charlatan for good.

It's not up to them. The Constitution not only has it as a matter of the monarch's consent, not theirs, Harald himself established a precedent that it was entirely up to him and not them when Haakon wanted to marry Mette-Marit.

 

[Somebody]

The problem is that in Norway (like in most other monarchies), she only needs the permission of the Sovereign. Given Harald's own history with a father who refused to give permission for him to marry for many years, it seems he is rather 'soft' in this issue and decided that he will support his children in their choice of partners no matter what...

Personally, I think a system in which parliament has to approve a royal marriage is preferable over the one in which it is only a close family member deciding.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Do I get this right, Harald V has consented even if he did not spell it out exactly? Would this be valid, if the non-thinkable tragedy strikes?
But I guess law or not, ML and her conman would never be Q&K, it would be the end of the monarchy in Norway.

 

[Prinsara]

Do I get this right, Harald V has consented even if he did not spell it out exactly? Would this be valid, if the non-thinkable tragedy strikes?
But I guess law or not, ML and her conman would never be Q&K, it would be the end of the monarchy in Norway.

It's pretty odd, considering ML has by most accounts been offered the chance to be queen not once but twice (before the reform and by Haakon prior to getting married) and both times fairly vehemently said "nei".

Since she doesn't actually want to be the monarch by anyone's stretch of the imagination, why not just take the opportunity to bow out and save her country and family all this stress?

 

[Mbruno]

The problem is that in Norway (like in most other monarchies), she only needs the permission of the Sovereign. Given Harald's own history with a father who refused to give permission for him to marry for many years, it seems he is rather 'soft' in this issue and decided that he will support his children in their choice of partners no matter what...

Personally, I think a system in which parliament has to approve a royal marriage is preferable over the one in which it is only a close family member deciding.

In Belgium, the constitution says that the King gives consent to marriages of people in the line of succession (hereafter referred to as "royal marriages"), but consent is declared by means of a royal decree which must be countersigned by a responsible minister. So, in practice, the person who gets married needs the dual consent of the King and the government.

On the other hand, the monarch must give his/her consent to a royal marriage in a meeting of the Privy Council in the UK or a meeting of the Council of State in Denmark. So, in accordance with the constitutional practice in those countries, it is implied that consent is granted by the King/Queen in Council, rather than the King/Queen personally, therefore also with the consent of the government.

The Act of Succession in Sweden says in turn that consent to royal marriages is explicitly given by the government, but the government can only give its consent upon a request by the monarch. So, again in practice, dual consent of the monarch and the government is required.

The Netherlands and Spain are the only European kingdoms where Parliament is explicitly involved in the process. In the Netherlands, consent must be given in the form of an act of Parliament passed in a joint session of the two houses, but a bill to that end must be introduced exclusively by the government on behalf of the King/Queen, so pre-approval by the government is needed. Spain, on the other hand, is somewhat odd because the Spanish constitution of 1978 does not explicitly require official consent to marriages of people in the line of succession, but the constitution allows the monarch and the Parliament to jointly forbid such marriages, in which case the person who gets married and the future descendants of the marriage lose their succession rights if the marriage takes place despite the prohibition. The important point though is that neither the monarch nor the Parliament can individually prohibit a marriage; the prohibition is legally binding only if both the monarch and the Parliament agree to it.

I am aware that King Harald V has declared in the past that he personally interprets the Norwegian constitution as vesting the power to consent to marriages of princes of the royal house in the King alone. However, even though the Norwegian constitution, unlike in Denmark and unlike in British law, does not explicitly say that consent must be given "in Council", I still feel that the King's interpretation is at odds with Norwegian constitutional doctrine. I say so because it is currently implied that all references in the constitution to official acts of "the King" are interpreted as acts of the King in Council. In any case, I don't think the King could realistically consent to a marriage despite an advice to the contrary by the government without triggering a constitutional crisis in practice.

 

[Lady Daly]

Historically it would be helpful/interesting to refer back to the actual words and setting that Harold used to officially consent to the marriages of Haakon and Mette- Marit, and also when ML married Ari. One would think it would have been much more official than howdy, welcome to the fam.

Btw, the above discussions have been fascinating to read and much appreciated. Shaman Durek is a real piece of work i.e. rhymes with fuzz ball to say the least.

 

[Annine]

When Haakon married it was said that the King har told (orientert) the State council that his son would get married, after the state council a letter from the King to the Stortinget with this message was read out loud by the president of Stortinget.

Gifter seg 25.august

Fra pressekonferansen på Slottet klokken 1500.Kong Harald orienterte fredag Regjeringen i Statsråd om at kronprins Haakon har inngått forlovelse med Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby.

www.nrk.no

The PM has said the King had discussed it with him beforehand and Haakon also said this in his recent book.

When the engagement of ML and Ari Behn was anounced it was said that the King had told (orientert) the PM Bondevik.

In the Norwegian constitution there are both articles that imply the King as the King in state council, but also the King as only the King.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Deleted post.

As Prinsara and Mbruno pointed out, King Harald V claimed at the time of Crown Prince Haakon's engagement that he, the King, was entitled to unilaterally authorize marriages under article 36 of the Constitution even without the Government's consent. Below is Royal Norway's post about that event for those who have not viewed it before:

To those who are interested, here's some information about it:

Haakon has said in interviews that when he told his parents about MM's past, the King said, "Is it more?" To which Haakon replied "no" - and the King said that "Dette klarer vi!" (''We'll manage this!'')

And then to the constitutional stuff:

According to the then Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, the King called him to the palace before the engagement - and informed him that Haakon wanted to marry MM.
He told the PM that he knew about Article 36 in the Constitution, which states:

He explained that he understood that when the word "King" is written in the Constitution, it had to be interpreted as "the King in Council of State'' (which, today, means the government).

But after that, the King said the following: ''Men akkurat når det gjelder denne paragrafen om at kongen må godkjenne kronprinsens ekteskap, vil jeg mene at kongen faktisk er kongen, det vil si meg – og ikke deg''.
("But just when it comes to this Article about that the King must approve the Crown Prince's marriage, I would think that the King is actually the King, that means me - and not you.")

And then it was done, neither Stoltenberg nor any other prime minister could do anything about it.

 

[polyesco]

It's pretty odd, considering ML has by most accounts been offered the chance to be queen not once but twice (before the reform and by Haakon prior to getting married) and both times fairly vehemently said "nei".

Since she doesn't actually want to be the monarch by anyone's stretch of the imagination, why not just take the opportunity to bow out and save her country and family all this stress?

Bow out of being titled Princess?
Nah, she just bowed out from doing any royal work.

I have to say it's a very informal consent from the King that took place. Not so straight forward that many are confused.

 

[Prinsara]

Bow out of being titled Princess?

No, bow out of the line of succession. She can keep the Princess title. I don't care and I doubt anyone else does about that.

Afaik ML was liked by her patronages and with the very limited amount of princessing she formerly did, so it's a bit of a shame she can't actually do something people benefited from.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Afaik ML was liked by her patronages and with the very limited amount of princessing she formerly did, so it's a bit of a shame she can't actually do something people benefited from.

Relatedly, the solution chosen by the King and supported by the public (stripping the princess of her limited patronage engagements but maintaining her rights to the throne) seems backward to me.

If the issue is her suitability to represent, how can an individual deemed unsuitable even as a patron of a few charitable organizations still be officially deemed suitable to represent and lead an entire country as its head of state?

If the issue is the supposed unfairness of "punishing" an adult for her choice of spouse, is it not a harsher punishment to remove the princess from charitable work which she enjoyed and earned her the appreciation of at least some members of the public, compared to taking away the already slim possibility of a job (queen) that she never wanted in the first place?

It's pretty odd, considering ML has by most accounts been offered the chance to be queen not once but twice (before the reform and by Haakon prior to getting married) and both times fairly vehemently said "nei".

Since she doesn't actually want to be the monarch by anyone's stretch of the imagination, why not just take the opportunity to bow out and save her country and family all this stress?

It would not be the first time her actions have seemed contradictory, but I also wonder if perhaps King Harald V and/or Crown Prince Haakon want her and/or her daughters (since if the Constitution is interpreted literally, their rights to the throne would also be endangered if their mother remarried without constitutional authorization) to remain in line to the throne for one reason or another.

 

[iceflower]

Märtha Louise today shared her unofficial monogram for Durek and herself:

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[Muhler]

Yeah, okay, monogram...

I can't help thinking: How come people who have been reincarnated so often tend to have been royalty or at least nobility and lived pretty interesting lives.
It's pretty rare you hear about someone who has been reincarnated as poor peasants/laborers/slaves every single time. And as poor people with pretty uninteresting lives have always vastly outnumbered the rich and powerful, statistics says that for most of their past lives ML and her Durek would have been nobodies.

 

[polyesco]

Martha-Louise "clarifies" a few points.
"We are so honored and grateful to share our monogram with you. This is not an official monogram, as I no longer represent the Royal family at official functions. This monogram is merely a wonderful emblem embedded with important symbolism for both @shamandurek and myself embracing our love.
Thank you so much to the amazing team @anti_hamar for embrasing both of our souls into this representation of the two of us. You have done such a great job in capturing both of our essence into one symbol.
Honoring our past life together in Egypt, the monogram embraces the hieroglyphs and the Egyptian symbols as follows:"

When in the comment sections, someone questions the point of a monogram, Martha-Louise responded
" I am still a princess and part of the royal family. So maybe get your facts right before you comment?"

 

[Prinsara]

When in the comment sections, someone questions the point of a monogram, Martha-Louise responded
" I am still a princess and part of the royal family. So maybe get your facts right before you comment?"

That's exactly the tone Verrett takes every time someone questions him on IG.
Either his influence, they really are two of a kind, or striking the appropriate tone in text is not the easiest thing in the world.
...But probably the first two.

 

[Alisa]

One of the commenters said more or less "why not call it a brand or logo since you paid a company to make if for you?" The commenter also went on to say that the "monogram" looks like a tribal tattoo.
I couldn't agree more.

As time passes, the couple show more and more that they are two peas in a pod and that they belong together. I can't decide whose antics and comments are worse...Durek's or Martha Louise's. I really wish them well and hope they have a happy and successful life.

 

[Chimene]

This is just lunacy. It’s a logo and an ugly one at that. Come on man…

 

[Sister Morphine]

If I'm Haakon, I don't go to the wedding. Why give these fools legitimacy?

 

[Somebody]

It seems ML is the one who is confused. First announce that it is unofficial because she no longer represents the royal family and next claim that as a princess she still needs one?!

 

[kalnel]

It reminds me of the cipher used by The Artist Formerly Known As Prince.

 

[Sister Morphine]

It reminds me of the cipher used by The Artist Formerly Known As Prince.

Don't you dare besmirch the good name of Prince Rogers Nelson by lumping him in with these .

 

[Toledo]

Märtha Louise today shared her unofficial monogram for Durek and herself:

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I'm reading and about to go to Zzzz (It's almost midnight here in NY) and could not resist making a comment about this pretentious monogram invoking polytheism and, of course, privileged people wanting to be ancient Egyptians.

Last time I checked ML was a Christan faith princess and now, since she enrolled in the Hollywood con artists and life coaches' kin, she's now invoking Horus, son of Isis in her monogram? Is it a marketing ploy in the making by Shaman Durek, who seems to run the errands in her brain?

By the way, Shaman is what he wants to be called in his social media account. I wonder if he can make it rain? California is a strange place where creatures like him are at every corner trying to connect into celebrity circles to hook up a big and gullible celebrity. Oh wait, he already did.

I'm hoping her brother takes over soon and declares their dad not competent since he has allowed this situation not just to be out of control but fully embarrass the institution of the monarchy. We are not in 1912 Russia's Court, this is 2024 Norway and Durek has taken over the family decisions.

If he claims to be is a reincarnated version of someone is not a king or god in ancient Egypt, I'll go more for something geographically closer to Norway like a Rasputin in Czarist Russia.

That said, congrats on their wedding and best wishes to ML when he gets half of what she owns. This is a mess we are all watching!

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Martha-Louise "clarifies" a few points.
"We are so honored and grateful to share our monogram with you. This is not an official monogram, as I no longer represent the Royal family at official functions. This monogram is merely a wonderful emblem embedded with important symbolism for both @shamandurek and myself embracing our love.
Thank you so much to the amazing team @anti_hamar for embrasing both of our souls into this representation of the two of us. You have done such a great job in capturing both of our essence into one symbol.
Honoring our past life together in Egypt, the monogram embraces the hieroglyphs and the Egyptian symbols as follows:"

When in the comment sections, someone questions the point of a monogram, Martha-Louise responded
" I am still a princess and part of the royal family. So maybe get your facts right before you comment?"

This makes me cringe. Did they elaborate on their past life together in Egypt? I am sure they were royalty back then, Ramses & Nefertari, Isis & Osiris, anyone?

 

[Toledo]

This makes me cringe. Did they elaborate on their past life together in Egypt? I am sure they were royalty back then, Ramses & Nefertari, Isis & Osiris, anyone?

As every con artist in California, Shaman Durek needed to associate himself to ancient Egypt where the perennial picks to claim reincarnation are Cleopatra, Nefertiti and her nephew Tutankhamun. Claiming to be a reincarnate member of the Egyptian pantheon is the extreme ridiculousness of his made-up public persona to be one up us normal humans. ML not only tolerates that nonsense but now is 100% part of the brand.

Makes me wonder always why pretentious con artists and reincarnation claimers never associate themselves with anything other than Cleo, Nefertiti, Alexander the Great? It's always about attaching like parasites to a pagan pantheon because is shinny and gold. Why not claim reincarnation of Christian figures like he could be Judas. He has no reincarnation takers so it's free for the picking.

Or since it's Norway he could claim to be the reincarnated Loki, God of lies and deceit. Now that's one you don't need a 23andme test for, just look at his Instagram* handle on this post of wisdom and scam:

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* I bet he has someone working overtime deleting Instagram comments that expose his game. I've never seen a celebrity, in his case a con man, Instagram account that only has praises about his miracles and magical Dr. Strange healing powers

And when the wedding happens, I wonder if the royal press release for his new family member profile will also include his well-documented legal problems in the USA: Durek Verrett - Wikipedia

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Märtha Louise today shared her unofficial monogram for Durek and herself:

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The "Eye of Horus"?
And I thought DV was virtually at death's door due to kidney problems?

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

As every con artist in California, Shaman Durek needed to associate himself to ancient Egypt where the perennial picks to claim reincarnation are Cleopatra, Nefertiti and her nephew Tutankhamun. Claiming to be a reincarnate member of the Egyptian pantheon is the extreme ridiculousness of his made-up public persona to be one up us normal humans. ML not only tolerates that nonsense but now is 100% part of the brand.

Or since it's Norway he could claim to be the reincarnated Loki, God of lies and deceit.

Loki, that’s a good one! But don’t give him any ideas, he’s from Hollywood after all, sexy Thor or even better, Allfather Odin would fit the bill, same goes for their respective female companions, perfect match for ML, the modern warrior princess for the right cause.

 

[hereditarytitles]

The "Eye of Horus"?
And I thought DV was virtually at death's door due to kidney problems?

I always wondered what became of his kidney problems. He searched and pleaded for somebody to donor a kidney and said that he would only marry if he had a new kidney and was feeling healthy anough. And then... we never heard of this again.
There are only two conclusions to me: He either made it up or he got a new kidney and didn't tell. Having watched the pair in the past how open they are on social media everywhere, I can not imagine that they wouldn't have published the good news of having found a donor, having had a successful operation and him being happy and healthy again.

 

[Muhler]

This makes me cringe. Did they elaborate on their past life together in Egypt? I am sure they were royalty back then, Ramses & Nefertari, Isis & Osiris, anyone?

They did actually.
It was mentioned in at least one interview in the early stages of their relationship.
Durek was a pharaoh in ancient Egypt - didn't specify which one though. And there were after all quite a few!
And ML was - naturally - his queen. And considering the preoccupation of the pharaohs regarding their divine bloodline, very likely also his sister or half-sister...
Wonder if they thought about that?

These two will try every trick in the book to try and circumnavigate the restrictions laid out in regards to using ML's royal background and at some point the NRF will have to/be forced to take decisive actions and basically strip ML of her title. Alternatively cut her off. I.e. "banishing her from the court."
There may come a point, and that may come suddenly, where the political and/or public pressure or even outrage reach such a level that it spills over to the NRF. That is they become directly tainted by association. And that is IMO likely to happen early on in Haakon's reign.
For two reasons:
1) ML her her shaman will try and push the envelope as far as at all possible early on in Haakon's reign.
2) King Harald has an immense personal credit, so I think the Norwegians will tolerate much more simply out of personal respect for King Harald.
But Haakon as a new king will not have had time to build up a similar public credit and he may not start out by having anything resembling the personal respect and even veneration that King Harald has. So the public pressure/expectation of Haakon to do something about ML at least, will be high.

I always wondered what became of his kidney problems. He searched and pleaded for somebody to donor a kidney and said that he would only marry if he had a new kidney and was feeling healthy anough. And then... we never heard of this again.
There are only two conclusions to me: He either made it up or he got a new kidney and didn't tell. Having watched the pair in the past how open they are on social media everywhere, I can not imagine that they wouldn't have published the good news of having found a donor, having had a successful operation and him being happy and healthy again.

Or perhaps he dreamed up a new kidney?
After all, he has said on several occasions that people are only ill if they subconsciously want to. So perhaps he woke up one morning deciding that he doesn't need a new kidney because he's not ill anymore and that did the trick.
Or perhaps his ancestral spirits, no doubt aided by ML's undoubted and highly respected abilities to converse with angels, dropped by and stuck a brand new kidney into Durek. Why, that's the least they can do for him, eh? He is after all a Star-Child.

Because that a man like Durek, who is honesty and integrity personified, should come up with a scheme to angle for sympathy by feigning a serious illness is of course completely unthinkable. It would never happen, perish the thought. After all, and as we all know, Durek has never made something up.

 

[Chimene]

I’m going to ask again, where’s is a leader of the QMII caliber when you need it? And why does Haakon have to be burdened with this nonsense?

 

[Prinsara]

(..)

I'm hoping her brother takes over soon and declares their dad not competent since he has allowed this situation not just to be out of control but fully embarrass the institution of the monarchy. We are not in 1912 Russia's Court, this is 2024 Norway and Durek has taken over the family decisions.

That's an incredibly disrespectful thing to say about Harald and the NRF and shows complete ignorance of not only Russian history but current Norwegian events as well.

Verrett has no influence on the NRF, state decisions, or the workings of the monarchy. Just on the isolated ML.

There's a big difference between loving your family and being incompetent. Harald's the former, not the latter. And Haakon would never do that, anyway.