Following “many doubts relating to myself and my fiance’s function,” Princess Martha Louise, the daughter of Norway’s King Harald, said Tuesday that she will no longer officially represent the Norwegian royal house.
The American Durek Verrett, who calls himself a shaman and a healer on his website, proposed to the 51-year-old princess, who is fourth in line to the Norwegian throne. The engagement took place in June.
Martha Louise was a patron of at least one foundation, which afterwards severed ties with the princess.
In a statement released by the palace, she stated, “I have decided that at this moment I will no longer do official tasks for the royal family.” She added that the decision was taken in consultation with her parents “to create calm surrounding the royal household.” The princess will keep her title, but according to the palace, she informed the organisations for which she was still a patron that she was stepping down.
The heir to the throne is Crown Prince Haakon, her younger brother, who is 49 years old.
“I am sorry that the princess will no longer represent the royal house,” Harald said during a press conference about the issue. The 82-year-old king said that “we agree to disagree.” “We have looked at this process from all sides,” his wife, Queen Sonja added. “This has been a unanimous decision.” Harald said Verret “probably thought he could do anything without it affecting us.” “He must also take into account what we stand for,” Sonja said.
According to a statement from the palace, the pair will “clarify the distinction between their own activities and the royal household” and refrain from using the title of “princess” or making royal references in commercial or social media posts.
It was “an ordered and wise decision from our sponsor,” according to Bo Gleditsch, secretary-general of the Norwegian Rheumatism Association, who spoke to Norwegian news agency NTB.
Gleditsch told NTB, “She has settled this on her own initiative, and that’s good.”
According to Norwegian media, Martha Louise and Verrett allegedly exploited her royal status for financial benefit and promoted complementary medicine.
“I believe that alternative treatments might be an important adjunct to the mainstream therapy,” Martha Louise wrote on Instagram. The statement claims that when Verrett, 47, marries Martha Louise, he won’t be a member of the royal family of Norway or have a title. According to Norwegian media, the couple has been dating since May 2019. They want to attend royal traditions and family-related events.
Martha Louise has three daughters from her first marriage, which ended in 2016. According to Norwegian media, she plans to relocate to California with them. The palace did not say whether the change for Martha Louise would have any effect on her daughters.
Alongside her royal duties, the princess has written books in which she claimed to have contact with angels.