Princess Märtha Louise & Durek Verrett: News & Information 2019 - 2024

[rominet09]

Just as an aside, I think Matha Louise *might* have thought or hoped ( !!!) that her second Wedding might resembles Joachim in Denmark's 2nd marriage to Marie. All the Whistles and bells. Martha Louise attended as did Victoria of Sweden and brother Haakon and Mette Marrit.

After Martha Louise's engagement was announced, she was questioned when it would take place. She tellingly said, "It takes time to plan a Royal Wedding".
Unfortunately, I think it was made clear to ML and Durek, that this would be a much more low key event, than they had envisioned. From the perspective of Harold and Sonja and The Court, I believe.

Maybe that what rankles them. They wanted a Prince Joachim 2nd Marriage 'Gala'. Gowns and Tiaras for all. Instead they ARE perhaps getting the Princess Anne low key affair. I wouldn't be surprised anyway........

I agree with you, it would just be logical.

 

[valeas]

well, when mörtha married the first time, she was still the spare, since ingrid was born, she lost that rank, its as simple as this.

We will probably never know why Mörtha chose Geiranger, her parents celebrated thier jubilee at Geiranger.
At first I thought, how weird especially in August when Geiranger , a very very small village in a narrow place, is crowded by thousands if cruiseship tourists, but maybe this is the point!
I guess they cannot keep the tourists away as it is the norwegian government who gives the ships permission to stop at Geiranger, there are usually at least 2 big ones a day with about 12 000 passengers and one can hardly walk or drive a car through and I do not believe the gov. will risk to get involved by keeping the cruises away.

Has anyone checked the cruiseship ads yet, sure some will mention the royal wedding and some will pay extra to get there?

So, whereever the couple steps outside there will be thousands of spectators, just as if it was a big royal wedding, even if its only tourists. And if Derek mobilises some of his hollywood friends(he got some?) plus the fancy hotel, plus stunning nature.....
there you go!

Durek manages to confuse and upset Norway day by day,
and its getting more and more weird but listen yourself :

https://www.seher.no/kjendis/det-er-bare-galskap/80795742

I have no idea what the RF is planning for the future and why they chose to favour him
maybe with growing global crisis' nobody takes time notice of him anyway
or monarchy will no longer exist, for the moment the country is very very upset!
Norwegians are very proud of their society and how they upbring their children,
Idon't think a single Norwegian was waiting for Dureks advice.

 

[Opals]

Holy Sh*t!!!! I'm not sure he could be more offensive to Norwegians if he tried!

 

[valeas]

Holy Sh*t!!!! I'm not sure he could be more offensive to Norwegians if he tried!

Oh, its much worse than this.
He criticises "janteloven" the idea norwegian society is based on.

He says, Norwegian are only friendly after loads of alcohol......he wants them to drink more in order to feel free and be friendly
and in the same sentence calls them stupid.

He has been critical about Norwegians since he came to Norway,
but thats his business isn't it, everybody needs healing from him the great shaman, I wrote long ago that his whole agenda sounds like
he was the great redeemer, and this suits his angel listening bride to be.
But make up your own opinion.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

From the quotations in Se og Hør, his remarks, in this instance, sound more like an outburst of frustration than a deliberate attempt to demean Norwegians (and the fact that he deleted the video might support that). Norwegians can't be blamed at all for finding it offensive, and it would be good if he recognized that he is still in a privileged position as an American because the rest of the world must accommodate American culture more than vice versa, but it is very believable that someone used to mingling in American celebrity circles and being surrounded by admirers would genuinely feel stressed by the struggle to adjust culturally to living in a society where people are expected to present themselves more modestly, behave in more reserved ways, and do not open up to casual acquaintances. It also sounds like he may be having difficulty making friends in Norway (though I do wonder how many true close friends, as opposed to admiring followers, he has in his American social circles).

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

(Unfortunately the forum will not allow me to quote the full post, but I encourage others to read it.)

How was the process handled when Princess Märtha Louise was engaged to marry Ari Behn? Even though constitutionally there is no difference between Crown Prince Haakon's and Princess Märtha Louise's marriages, it wouldn't necessarily indicate anything amiss for the spare's marriage to be handled with less government involvement than the heir's; however, the government being more involved with one of the spare's marriages than the spare's other marriage might say something about the different political circumstances surrounding her two marriages.

That said, I think it is already clear that the royal family and the government are treating her second marriage differently than her first marriage: The royal family by not issuing the engagement and wedding announcements (only congratulating the couple), the government by not providing taxpayer funds for her second wedding as the then government did for her first wedding.

It was handled in the same way as the engagement between Haakon and MM. The King informed the Prime Minister and the Storting that he would give his consent.

And the fact that it has been handled differently this time has nothing to do (I think) with different political circumstances; IMO it has more to do with the fact that:
1) Märtha is no longer second in line to the throne, as she was when she got engaged to Ari.
2) Durek is extremely controversial (much more than Ari), so the court is probably trying to show that this wedding is not important for the future of the monarchy.

 

[Prinsara]

I neither like nor support Verrett at all, but what’s that saying about a broken clock…?

I read what he said, and it is very easy to see why an (extroverted, especially) American would find Jante overly restrictrive at best and stupid at worst; likewise how he could view Norwegians as overly repressed and reliant on social lubricant — it sounds like a less-polite version of Japan.

I agree it was probably an ill-thought airing of culture shock. At least in this case he is not advising people to do anything creepy or that may cause harm; just having a somewhat-normal reaction.

 

[Muhler]

The Law of Jante/the Tall Poppy Syndrome is silly.
It's a ting that is typical of a tribal or village community, which Norway (and Denmark) basically is. Where conforming is much more important than standing out.
It serves a purpose on small community levels, but beyond that it becomes silly and restrictive.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Like it or hate it, Norway is a deeply egalitarian society where the Law of Jante is strongly rooted!
And Durek can either try to embrace it or continue to go against it!
If he does the former, he might be a bit less controversial. If he does the latter, well, then we Norwegians will dislike him even more!

 

[Prinsara]

Like it or hate it, Norway is a deeply egalitarian society where the Law of Jante is strongly rooted!
And Durek can either try to embrace it or continue to go against it!
If he does the former, he might be a bit less controversial. If he does the latter, well, then we Norwegians will dislike him even more!

He said Jante is incompatible with the laws of the universe. Also that it is bad for self-esteem (which TvTropes codifies as Jerkass Has A Point).

I doubt the former will be happening, even as the weather where I am is so cold I feel the need to check the temperature in hell.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

The Law of Jante/the Tall Poppy Syndrome is silly.
It's a ting that is typical of a tribal or village community, which Norway (and Denmark) basically is. Where conforming is much more important than standing out.
It serves a purpose on small community levels, but beyond that it becomes silly and restrictive.

Did I miss an explanation of the Law of Jante?

 

[Muhler]

Did I miss an explanation of the Law of Jante?

The ten rules state:

You're not to think you are anything special.
You're not to think you are as good as we are.
You're not to think you are smarter than we are.
You're not to imagine yourself better than we are.
You're not to think you know more than we do.
You're not to think you are more important than we are.
You're not to think you are good at anything.
You're not to laugh at us.
You're not to think anyone cares about you.
You're not to think you can teach us anything.

That's the long version though. It can be summarized in one sentence: Don't you dare think you are better than anybody else.

Explained here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante

Like hinted at in a previous post it serves it purpose on a village level, where consensus is important for maintaining peace and harmony. It also teach humility.
But beyond that IMO it becomes restrictive.

It's no wonder actually if Durek doesn't understand it. Because In Scandinavia consensus is seen as critical to make things work and get everybody onboard for whatever task is at hand.
Perhaps especially in Norway and Sweden and I think to a lesser degree in Denmark because we are the loud, wild, rebellious hot-blooded southerners. - In a Scandinavian context, that is!

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

Muhler, thanks so much for this great explanation!

 

[Hans-Rickard]

If Durek thought he could go to Norway and change a culture, he will be gravely mistaken.

The law of Jante (=Don’t you dare to tell me what i should do and how i should think, and never ever belive that you are better than me!) is as rooted here in Sweden as well….. It’s not something i am proud of but to deny it is a big part of our culture would be to lie !

It’s not strange at all if Durek does not understand it because it is a cultural collision for many… It is not without reason that many people from Southern European Countries, or North or South America, sees us scandinavians as reserved people…

The best Durek can do is like Royal Norway says to try to embrace it or at least keep quiet and accept that it is there and maybe he will come off as a little bit less controversial (if that’s even possible after everything he has said by now) or else continue to pour hate at it, wich is a free ticket to always and forever be hated in his wife-to-be’s homecountry !

 

[Toledo]

The ten rules state:

You're not to think you are anything special.
You're not to think you are as good as we are...

That's the long version though. It can be summarized in one sentence: Don't you dare think you are better than anybody else...

Darek/Durek seems the type of person that can be defined as narcissistic with lack of empathy for other people, in this case another country. He's not a celebrity but part of a Hollywood species of charlatans that prey on celebrities for two main purposes, gaining wealth and gaining access to more gullible people that can produce wealth. For a frame of reference on this species that has been around for ages, a similar counterpart of Durek in Washington DC would be the notorious expelled politician/con artist George Santos.

It's like people with a sense of grandiosity that need constant admiration from their target victims to be even more manipulative. Thus, that sheds light on why he is so dismissive of the people of Norway and their traditions because his sense of grandiosity can't accept another one's opinion but his.

He is not the problem here, Martha is. She allowed him to take over because of her involvement in the Hollywood holistic Gweneth Paltrow's circles of narcissistic celebrities. Those circles are the ones thousands of California self-help life coaches parasites swim about. And Martha brought a Hollywood lifestyle problem right into the middle of King Olav's life in his senior years.

 

[Prinsara]

And Martha brought a Hollywood lifestyle problem right into the middle of King Olav's life in his senior years.

Although I would very much have liked to see what Olav, his wartime experiences, his lifelong experiences with adulation and anxiety and his very bad temper would have made of this guy (tldr, Verrett would be gone from Norway by now), I think you mean Harald.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Considering how conservative and bad-tempered King Olav was, I'm pretty sure he would have eaten Durek alive!

--------------------

During a press conference at the Norwegian Press House in Oslo on January 23, King Harald was asked what he thinks about Durek's claims that the Norwegian media is against him.

The King said: ''Det har han vel ikke rett i, tror jeg, hvis han gjør det. Men han føler at han har mye motgang. Han sier alltid, aaaaah, Norge. Men han er jo vant til pressen i Amerika, som er mye mer pågående enn vår, så det tror jeg han er vant til.''

''He's probably not right, I think, if he does. But he feels that he has a lot of adversity. He always says, aaaaah, Norway. But he is used to the press in America, which is much more ongoing than ours, so I think he is used to that.''

Not to defend the Durek-dude, but he's neither famous nor well-known in America, so he won't be used to dealing with the American media at all!

BTW, here is a VG-video of the press conference with the King (link).

 

[Tatiana Maria]

During a press conference at the Norwegian Press House in Oslo on January 23, King Harald was asked what he thinks about Durek's claims that the Norwegian media is against him.

The King said: ''Det har han vel ikke rett i, tror jeg, hvis han gjør det. Men han føler at han har mye motgang. Han sier alltid, aaaaah, Norge. Men han er jo vant til pressen i Amerika, som er mye mer pågående enn vår, så det tror jeg han er vant til.''

''He's probably not right, I think, if he does. But he feels that he has a lot of adversity. He always says, aaaaah, Norway. But he is used to the press in America, which is much more ongoing than ours, so I think he is used to that.''

Not to defend the Durek-dude, but he's neither famous nor well-known in America, so he won't be used to dealing with the American media at all!

BTW, here is a VG-video of the press conference with the King (link).

What does "pågående" (which you translated as "ongoing") mean in this context?

Kudos to King Harald V for (gently) defending journalists reporting on royalty. Even in democratic monarchies, it is rare for royals and even royal watchers to do so.

 

[Muhler]

What does "pågående" (which you translated as "ongoing") mean in this context?

Kudos to King Harald V for (gently) defending journalists reporting on royalty. Even in democratic monarchies, it is rare for royals and even royal watchers to do so.

Direct, aggressive. Less inclined to let someone off the hook.

 

[Toledo]

Although I would very much have liked to see what Olav, his wartime experiences, his lifelong experiences with adulation and anxiety and his very bad temper would have made of this guy (tldr, Verrett would be gone from Norway by now), I think you mean Harald.

Thanks for the correction. I meant Martha's father Harald.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Kudos to King Harald V for (gently) defending journalists reporting on royalty. Even in democratic monarchies, it is rare for royals and even royal watchers to do so.

Yes! And he was on top form during the press conference, making both CP Haakon and the journalists laugh and everything!

 

[LadyFinn]

About the wedding:
Chief of staff Kenneth Sætre in the Møre and Romsdal police district says that if there are guests attending the wedding who are entitled to protection, their role is to secure and protect the event so that the guests have a safe and good experience. The police are well underway with the planning, they have received a preliminary guest list, but there is a lot of uncertainty related to the event. The wedding will require a number of police resources, both to object security and motorcade driving. It has not yet been considered to bring in resources from other districts or other national aid resources. There will be some restrictions in Geiranger, but it is too early to say how extensive it will be. Sætre is asked who will pay the police calls and security and he says that although this is a private wedding, as long as guests come that the police has a social mission to look after, the police will take that responsibility. He is asked if the King and Queen are attending and he says that the Royal Court answers to that.
Geiranger_ Politiet har fått foreløpig gjesteliste TV2

 

[LadyFinn]

TV 2 has asked the Royal Court a number of questions about their involvement before and during Märtha Louise's wedding.
TV 2 has asked, among other things, whether the Court is responsible for any of the items at the wedding, whether any of the employees are involved in the planning, or whether the Court has access to the guest list.
- The wedding of Princess Märtha Louise is arranged privately, and takes place without assistance from the Royal Court. The royal court therefore does not contribute financially or in any other way to the event, writes communications manager Guri Varpe in an email to TV 2.
Klart svar om bryllupet_ - Lurt å holde seg unna

 

[LadyFinn]

For the past year, Simon Valvik has represented Durek Verrett and worked as his PR manager in Norway. Now the collaboration is over. Valvik confirms this to Nettavisen.
- I no longer represent Durek Verrett. I don't want to comment more than that, says Valvik to Nettavisen.
Valvik gave in February an interview to the industry newspaper Medier24, and described the last year as Verrett's manager as surreal.

Bekrefter brudd med Durek Verrett

Durek Verrett og manageren Simon Valvik har gått hver til sitt.

www.nettavisen.no

 

[LadyFinn]

Durek at LA Fashion Week

Durek Verrett Instagramissa: "This weeks LA fashion week was Lit with designer @tellthetruth.shop I closed the show and was nice walking runway again.. So many amazing models and designers were featured this week at @artheartsfashion . So much talent

827 likes, 93 comments - shamandurek March 26, 2024: "This weeks LA fashion week was Lit with designer @tellthetruth.shop I closed the show and was nice walking runway again.. So many amazing..."

www.instagram.com

Getty Images

 

[Curryong]

(..) And if he misses LA and the diverse crowds at fashion shows etc perhaps he’d be much happier in California.

 

[Biri]

(..) And if he misses LA and the diverse crowds at fashion shows etc perhaps he’d be much happier in California.

They may move there after the wedding - Martha Louise is not a working royal, no chance whenever to become Queen Regnant, so in fact it doesn't matter much where does she live.

 

[valeas]

Well, the two are carrying on with their plans.
The new house is found and getting pimped.

– Et faremoment

For ett år siden kjøpte prinsesse Märtha Louise en privat eiendom på Stabekk. Nå behandler byggesaksavdelingen i Bærum kommune en søknad om at deler av boligen skal rives.

www.abcnyheter.no

 

[Muhler]

Not that big a deal IMO.
It's quite normal to buy a house and tear it down - or in this case a part of the house - and build a new one.
And considering their position and affiliation with the NRF the floorplans and other details will be kept confidential, as the article points out.
What interest me is where they get the money to make a pretty extensive renovation - or perhaps rather where they get their credit. Because I doubt they have that sort of money in a safe somewhere.
It is of course an investment, so they should be able to sell the house, if need be, and profit from it. And as for credit: Well, I suppose the NRF will be the ultimate guarantee (whether they want to or not) for any debt incurred by MM & Durek in Norway.

 

[valeas]

Well, that official statement of the court does not include if Harald spends private money for his daughter or do you think this is so unthinkable?