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


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Well, two things:
IIRC none from the NRF were represented at the wedding between Joachim and Marie..
It's seems pretty clear to me that an invitation to the DRF was met with a no!!!
It might be because the DRF is less than impressed with this wedding and especially Durek and don't want to associate with ML and Durek in the future. It could also be a way to show a kind of support for King Harald, or perhaps rather Haakon, because he is the one who will have to deal with ML and Durek in the future, as another poster pointed out.

Because the DRF usually have no problems whatsoever attending private weddings within royal families.
 
Well, two things:
IIRC none from the NRF were represented at the wedding between Joachim and Marie..
It's seems pretty clear to me that an invitation to the DRF was met with a no!!!
It might be because the DRF is less than impressed with this wedding and especially Durek and don't want to associate with ML and Durek in the future. It could also be a way to show a kind of support for King Harald, or perhaps rather Haakon, because he is the one who will have to deal with ML and Durek in the future, as another poster pointed out.

Because the DRF usually have no problems whatsoever attending private weddings within royal families.
Mette Marit, Haakon, Märtha Louise and Ari Behn was very much represented in Joachim and Marie's wedding..
 
The original agreement in 2019 stated she would use (only) her name (Märtha Louise) in business.
Thank you. I wonder if any test marketing was done because Martha Louise does not seem like name that will have traction.

My musing / Monday morning quarterbacking thinks that they could have done something like stated she will go by Martha Louise or Martha Louise [Surname], my proposal for a surname would be Haraldsen which is ML's mother Sonja's maiden name as well as a play on her father's name.
 
So far we only know that the DRF considers this wedding to be a private event. The Swedes actually said the same. But finally gave in to the media it seems.
And yes, Märtha Louise and Ari and the CP couple did attend Joachim's 2nd wedding.
 
I raised my eyebrows at the statement that the Danish royals will not "participate in the same way as if it were a successor to the throne". They should have just stated that none were coming and left it at that. Although I wonder if stating that the DRF "will not be officially represented" means that there is a possibility that someone may show up.

I am not ruling out that the controversial Durek is a factor in some declining the invite, but I also think a big barrier is how commercialized the wedding is.
 
Thank you. I wonder if any test marketing was done because Martha Louise does not seem like name that will have traction.

My musing / Monday morning quarterbacking thinks that they could have done something like stated she will go by Martha Louise or Martha Louise [Surname], my proposal for a surname would be Haraldsen which is ML's mother Sonja's maiden name as well as a play on her father's name.

I agree, but from a marketer's perspective, perhaps plain "Märtha Louise" is more likely to prompt a potential customer to say "Märtha Louise who?" and do a search, uncovering the royal connection, than "Märtha Louise Haraldsen/Haraldsdatter/Glücksburg/Behn/Verrett" would be.
 
Svensk Damtidning asked the Swedish Royal Court's Information Department, if Victoria, Daniel, Carl Philip and Sofia do the same as the Norwegian Royals that they won't be photographed by Hello and Netflix.
Deputy Director of the Information Department Johan Tegel:
- What we have done is to confirm the presence of the royals at the wedding, but we will not give any further information about everything else concerning this private event.
You can't answer if you have a similar demand that the Norwegian court has accepted?
- No, we have no further information to give about the wedding. We confirm that the Crown Princess Couple and Prince Couple are there and that it is a private event.

Now when Victoria, Daniel, Carl Philip and Sofia attend, King Harald, Queen Sonja, Astrid, Haakon and Mette-Marit have close friends they can talk with at the wedding, not just Durek's and Märtha's "strange" friends.

According to VG's information, none of the government members will attend the wedding. The government consist of the prime minister and 19 ministers.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has not been invited, Støre's spokesperson Kristoffer Thoner tells VG:
- The Prime Minister has not been invited to the wedding of Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett and will not participate.

"Today I was fitted for my dress!
I’m so excited to celebrate my Uncle @shamandurek and Princess Märtha Louise Wedding.
Netflix has now announced their new documentary about My Uncle and Märtha @iam_marthalouise I can’t wait!"

Mayor of Stranda municipality Einar Arve Nordang talked with the press. He is excited.
The only road through Geiranger will be closed when the royals will be driven in motorcade from the harbor up to the wedding.
- But we don't know exactly what time it happens, so we have asked the locals to take extra time that day.
Fortunately, it is only a stretch of just over half a kilometer in question.
There are usually just over 200 people living in Geiranger, but it is a favorite destination for cruise ships, on the busiest days there are up to 15,000 visitors, so the mayor is not worried about the people.
- What I fear is if too many people come by car. Then they will not be allowed to park. There are only 200 parking spaces.

Crown Prince Haakon hinted that the Palace will tighten up.
It happens after several breaches of the agreement Princess Märtha Louise has with her father. It says she will not use her title commercially. It all culminated in the sale of the rights to the wedding. The question is whether the agreement will even survive the bridal show at the weekend.
Because the wedding appears commercial to the fingertips.
Even Märtha Louise's wedding nails are sponsored. She states this on Instagram. Many agree that it is not appropriate to use an inherited title to sell princess sweaters and princess treatment.
The Royal House represents us and is on apanage. They are marketing Norway, not plastic nails.
 
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Isn't prince Joachim living in the US? A long travel for a wedding perhaps. The King and Queen would be too much as a representation and there is nobody else. Benedikte and her family will be attending the Berleburg baptism I imagine.
 
I raised my eyebrows at the statement that the Danish royals will not "participate in the same way as if it were a successor to the throne". They should have just stated that none were coming and left it at that. Although I wonder if stating that the DRF "will not be officially represented" means that there is a possibility that someone may show up.

I am not ruling out that the controversial Durek is a factor in some declining the invite, but I also think a big barrier is how commercialized the wedding is.
I was thinking the same thing. The wording makes it seem like they could attend, but in a private manner.
 
Isn't prince Joachim living in the US? A long travel for a wedding perhaps. The King and Queen would be too much as a representation and there is nobody else. Benedikte and her family will be attending the Berleburg baptism I imagine.
Joachim's family was in Dk last week. But maybe they already returned to the USA. When does the school start there?
If you try to do business in the US perhaps it's not such a good idea to associate with a criminal shaman. Might also be the reason why Madeleine and Chris don't attend.
 
Could be indeed. But Joachim has a normal job so perhaps he run through his vacation days. Same for Chris: he has his own company, he simply may not have the time to attend these extensive parties. Who of us would?
 
Isn't prince Joachim living in the US? A long travel for a wedding perhaps. The King and Queen would be too much as a representation and there is nobody else. Benedikte and her family will be attending the Berleburg baptism I imagine.
They could send Christian, at least that may be a support for Ingrid.
But again, the DRF won't touch this media-commercial glamour event with a sterilized barge-pole it seems.

- They could also send QMII, but she would have to be dragged kicking and screaming all the way and I dare not think what mood she would be in if she did go and saw and heard the collection of... egocentrics... I mean self-made guests that are invited.

Have they invited Princess Anne, I wonder? After all the BRF and NRF are close.
Imagine QMII and Princess Anne, both in an irritable mood, at this wedding. That's a wedding I'd like to attend!

Joachim's family was in Dk last week. But maybe they already returned to the USA. When does the school start there?
If you try to do business in the US perhaps it's not such a good idea to associate with a criminal shaman. Might also be the reason why Madeleine and Chris don't attend.
I think Chris and his family and their circle of friends wouldn't even allow their dogs to bite Durek.
Chris strikes me as a man who would not be particularly impressed by a shaman.
 
We all attended weddings where we may have liked our family member/friend but not the other person. But we went nontheless out of loyalty and love to/for the relative/friend. I imagine it won't be much different for royalty. We can speculate that it is a clever ploy or a snub for people not to come but in the end more wordly and practical considerations may be at the core of things. Or -in some cases- a convenient combination of the two.

And for all objections to the groom: it is their happy day. It is good that ML's friends and family are there to share it with her, even when they are puzzled by her choice.

As for Christian going there: let the poor boy be ;). I am sure he would have gone if it was somebody in his own age group. But this is a scaled down wedding for reining royalty, private even. There is no need for an official representation.
 
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They could send Christian, at least that may be a support for Ingrid.
But again, the DRF won't touch this media-commercial glamour event with a sterilized barge-pole it seems.

- They could also send QMII, but she would have to be dragged kicking and screaming all the way and I dare not think what mood she would be in if she did go and saw and heard the collection of... egocentrics... I mean self-made guests that are invited.

Have they invited Princess Anne, I wonder? After all the BRF and NRF are close.
Imagine QMII and Princess Anne, both in an irritable mood, at this wedding. That's a wedding I'd like to attend!
If there wasn't a christening to attend, princess Alexandra would have been a great option. She is still a member of the Danish royal family but far enough removed in the eyes of the public and ML is count Richard's godmother... So, alternatively, they could send ML's godson himself.
 
They could send Christian, at least that may be a support for Ingrid.
Would be a pretty funny if P.Christian attended with one of the D.o.Castro daughters as a date, that would take a lot of the attention of the media off the wedding couple 😇

But seriously, just like i keep saying for that other celebrity-loving pair in the royal world (H&M), i hope they have a wonderful wedding, just the way they imagine it, and then go off to do their own thing in a positive way, without the need to do it by trashing family, name-dropping and throwing false accusations around....just go out, fly on the wings of love, and do it in private :flowers:
 
They could send Christian, at least that may be a support for Ingrid.
But again, the DRF won't touch this media-commercial glamour event with a sterilized barge-pole it seems.

- They could also send QMII, but she would have to be dragged kicking and screaming all the way and I dare not think what mood she would be in if she did go and saw and heard the collection of... egocentrics... I mean self-made guests that are invited.

Have they invited Princess Anne, I wonder? After all the BRF and NRF are close.
Imagine QMII and Princess Anne, both in an irritable mood, at this wedding. That's a wedding I'd like to attend!
I think both Queen Margrethe and Princess Anne are far too well mannered to openly show an irritable mood at a wedding.

And my guess for a Danish royal privately attending the wedding is: Queen Consort Mary. On her own a consort is politically not that important and she seems to have a warm relationship with the NRF.

In any case I doubt there will be nobody from Dk, when 4 members of the SRF attend privately. You are obviously interpreting your own negative feelings into the DRF.
 
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I agree, but from a marketer's perspective, perhaps plain "Märtha Louise" is more likely to prompt a potential customer to say "Märtha Louise who?" and do a search, uncovering the royal connection, than "Märtha Louise Haraldsen/Haraldsdatter/Glücksburg/Behn/Verrett" would be.
If I remember it correctly, the article in Hola which is looking as a kind of preview for things coming states her as a princess. Even if they avoid the title in the upcoming articles and movies by then those who are interested in the story will remember "this woman isn't just some B or C celebrity, she is a Norwegian princess. It will be interesting to watch how many people will buy the magazine or will view the Netflix series. I wonder also for what recipients these stories are made, a European audience or the US?
Considering from what I heard or read about people in the US I don't think that they are interested about some shady Shaman and an European controversial princess. Could be that it is different in Europe, but that market is much smaller and most European countries might have other problems to deal with presently.
 
If there wasn't a christening to attend, princess Alexandra would have been a great option. She is still a member of the Danish royal family but far enough removed in the eyes of the public and ML is count Richard's godmother... So, alternatively, they could send ML's godson himself.
But didn't Alexandra invite ML and Durek to her 2nd wedding, and that's the wedding where Durek claimed to have experienced racism? So who knows what she feels about him now.
 

Netflix has announced the series - its press release it rather interesting IMO (I've bolded the parts I thought were most interesting)

The upcoming in-depth and moving documentary offers an unprecedented look inside the love story between the Norwegian king’s eldest child, Märtha Louise, and her partner, Shaman Durek.

  • From acclaimed Emmy-nominated director Rebecca Chaiklin (Tiger King, Another World) and Emmy-winning producer Chris Smith (100 Foot Wave, “Sr.”)
  • The filmmakers have been following the couple for over a year.
  • The untitled documentary is a never-before-seen look at one of the most-discussed couples and explores their love story from the early days to the present day and how they navigate their new life surrounded by constant attention from the public.
  • The documentary will premiere globally. The release date is yet to be announced.
 
But didn't Alexandra invite ML and Durek to her 2nd wedding, and that's the wedding where Durek claimed to have experienced racism? So who knows what she feels about him now.
Yes, ML and Durek did attend Alexandra's wedding.
 
I think both Queen Margrethe and Princess Anne are far too well mannered to openly show an irritable mood at a wedding.

And my guess for a Danish royal privately attending the wedding is: Queen Consort Mary. On her own a consort is politically not that important and she seems to have a warm relationship with the NRF.

In any case I doubt there will be nobody from Dk, when 4 members of the SRF attend privately. You are obviously interpreting your own negative feelings into the DRF.
Perhaps. Won't mind at all if the DRF share them.
 
Joachim's family was in Dk last week. But maybe they already returned to the USA. When does the school start there?
If you try to do business in the US perhaps it's not such a good idea to associate with a criminal shaman. Might also be the reason why Madeleine and Chris don't attend.
Athena and Henrik's school just started again yesterday (August 26), so it's probably a busy week for the family. Lots of back-to-school meetings for parents.
 
Durek has had his bachelor party today. According to Se og Hør, Durek has taken several of the guests on a boat trip in the sunshine to Fredrikstad, but it seems that the climate is somewhat colder in Norway than the American guests are used to.
 
On the photo in the article they seem to have sensible jackets on. It should be 19 degrees during the day, though on the water it may be colder due to the wind.
 
Joachim's family was in Dk last week. But maybe they already returned to the USA. When does the school start there?
If you try to do business in the US perhaps it's not such a good idea to associate with a criminal shaman. Might also be the reason why Madeleine and Chris don't attend.
Some schools have already started several weeks ago, some started yesterday, and some will start after Labor Day. States and school districts do their own thing :flowers:
 
Some schools have already started several weeks ago, some started yesterday, and some will start after Labor Day. States and school districts do their own thing :flowers:
Joachim's children's school started August 26.
 
So far we only know that the DRF considers this wedding to be a private event. The Swedes actually said the same. But finally gave in to the media it seems.
And yes, Märtha Louise and Ari and the CP couple did attend Joachim's 2nd wedding.

I was thinking the same thing. The wording makes it seem like they could attend, but in a private manner.

That was my initial interpretation too. The DRF may well be attending but not officially. Consisdering it a private event. Sometimes I feel the Swedish court says something is private but then give info.

There is a baptism in Germany the same day. Frederik and Mary attended last year as Christian was a godparent, I don't think their attendance was announced until after. We shall see.
 
Durek promotes the Netflix documentary at his Instagram, he writes among other things:
"We're beyond excited as we step into this next chapter together! Every move we make is hand in hand with our incredible community—because this journey isn’t just ours. it's all of ours. We’re opening new doors, breaking boundaries, and embracing the fact that the time is NOW. We're going global, and there's nothing more powerful than the love that fuels us. Together, we’re proving that love really does conquer all."

Acting chief of staff in the Møre and Romsdal police district Hans Martin Gridseth says that the Police have not received an answer as to whether they will receive central funding to cover the costs of the wedding.
Are Søberg, known as the Waste Ombudsman, believes it is natural for the police to set up more staffing.
- If there are a lot of people there, then more police officers are also needed than usual. Just as if there had been a big festival or concert, a big gathering, then the police also turn up more than they usually do.
- But it is clear that spending tax money on Shaman Durek is not the nicest thing to do.

The Norwegian-American couple Harald Austad and his wife Margie Plus are good friends of Märtha Louise and Durek, and they have come from Los Angeles to Ålesund and Geiranger for the grand wedding.
- It's exciting that we don't know much about the wedding. And that's how Märtha and Durek want it, and they want to gather friends and family without knowing everything that will happen. They like to shock and offer surprises, says Margie Plus.

The crown prince couple from Nigeria are looking forward to celebrating their love together with the princess and the shaman.
There are many royal families in the Yoruba region of Nigeria, who call themselves "Ruling houses", although Nigeria became a republic in 1963.

 
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