For several weeks, the Norwegian press has been reporting that Princess Märtha Louise of Norway could soon lose her title. This decision could be accelerated by a similar decision taken last month by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark for some of her grandchildren. Princess Märtha Louise could lose her title on the occasion of her next marriage to an American and divorced shaman, whose latest escapades have caused some controversy.
Also read: Queen Margrethe II admits to having ‘underestimated’ the pain inflicted on her grandchildren by deposing them
The title of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway in the hot seat?
A few weeks ago, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark decided to depose the children of her second son. Other such measures exist, will be applied or are being considered in other monarchies. In Norway, it is Princess Märtha Louise who would be most threatened by such a measure.
The princess, who is the eldest child of King Harald V and Queen Sonja, was born in September 1971. The same year Salic law was abolished in Norway, allowing women to ascend the throne. In 1973, Queen Sonja gave birth to a boy, Haakon. In 1990, the rule of succession changed again, moving to absolute primogeniture, unlike the previous rule that a woman could ascend the throne but she ranked behind the male members of equal rank. However, the rule is not retroactive and Crown Prince Haakon therefore always appears before his sister. Märtha Louise is now 4th in line to the Norwegian throne.
Read also: Mary of Denmark understands that the dismissal of the Queen’s grandchildren “can hurt”
Crown Prince Haakon responds to controversy over his sister’s marriage and her future in the royal family
In 2002, Princess Märtha Louise agreed to lose her predicate of Royal Highness due to her business activities, notably following the opening of a school to learn how to communicate with angels. The same year, she married the artist Ari Behn with whom she had three daughters. The three daughters, who bear the name of their father and bear no title, still appear in the order of succession to the throne. Märtha Louise and Ari Behn divorced in 2017. Her ex-husband and father of her three daughters ended his life on Christmas Day 2019.
Read also: Prince Nikolai speaks for the first time after his impeachment
Since 2019, Princess Märtha Louise, now 51, has been dating Durek Verrett, a divorced African-American, who calls himself a guru to the stars, under the name of Shaman Durek. Märtha Louise and Shaman Durek have launched several counseling businesses and conferences on the subject of alternative spirituality and well-being. The princess has taken the decision, following the advice of her family, to no longer mention her title of princess in her commercial communications.
In 2022, after receiving permission from King Harald, Shaman Durek asked for Märtha Louise’s hand. The announcement of the engagement caused a stir in Norway because at the same time, the guru was promoting amulets which he sells for around 200 dollars and which he claims would be able to cure coronavirus and other diseases such as cancer.
Also read: King Harald responds to controversies over his future son-in-law
Crown Prince Haakon, who made a public commitment on Monday, was taken to task by a journalist. He agreed to answer questions about his sister’s future in the royal family. “On the one hand, my sister got engaged and I got to know Durek Verrett and I think it’s nice to be with him, I’ve been with him many times. And I want him to feel welcome in our family “, assures the crown prince. “On the other hand, I feel a great responsibility for the institution, and of course we have noticed that some things that have been said and done have generated a lot of discussion and are controversial. We need to talk about it and get it straightened out.”
“It’s a subject that I find a bit difficult”admits Crown Prince Haakon. Se og Hør also claimed that several meetings had already taken place at the Royal Palace in Oslo in recent days regarding this case. The date of the wedding of Princess Märtha Louise has not yet been communicated nor the modalities around it. NRK recalls that two associations linked to medical causes have withdrawn the patronage of the princess. Epilepsiforbundet, an epilepsy research association, ended its collaboration with Märtha Louise in 2020. “The association believed that several statements by her boyfriend, now fiancé, Durek Verrett were at odds with their values and ethics”, explains NRK. A little earlier, it was a research association on muscle diseases that had cut ties with their godmother for the same reasons.
The royal family of Norway is extremely popular. The population’s confidence in the king reaches unparalleled scores in each poll, if we compare them to polls conducted in other monarchies. Yet last year for the first time, trust scores were down slightly. Another poll, conducted less than a month ago by NRK indicated that 51% of Norwegians would prefer that Märtha Louise no longer has royal engagements to ensure. Only 13% found this although it had functions.
A survey conducted in September for Dagbladet indicates that 53.9% of the population would be in favor of abandoning the title of princess for the second daughter of the King of Norway. Debating, reflecting and acting is a completely normal process according to Crown Prince Haakon, who concludes by recalling that all “it is part of the living democracy of which we are a part”.
Crown Prince Haakon talks about stripping his sister of her princess title