[imagesource: Instagram / @iam_marthalouise]

The sole princess of Norway, Princess Märtha Louise, is putting her royal duties aside to build a life with her self-described ‘shaman’ fiancé.

The only daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja announced her intention to relinquish her royal role and “distinguish between myself as a private person on the one hand and as a member of the Royal Family on the other”.

The Princess will keep her title, according to King Harald V, but will focus on her alternative medicine business with her fiancé, Durek Verrett.

The palace released an official statement saying that the princess has “performed her duties with warmth, care and deep commitment,” but that she would “create a clearer dividing line” between her and her fiancé’s activities and the Royal House of Norway, per Tatler.

 

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A post shared by Princess Märtha Louise (@princessmarthalouise)

Princess Märtha Louise became engaged to Verrett in June, announcing the news on Instagram where she expected criticism:

The BBC reported that Verrett has promoted unfounded medical practices, including, most wildly, the suggestion that cancer is a choice:

Mr Durek – an African-American who describes himself as a “6th Generation Shaman” – has claimed to have risen from the dead and to have predicted the 9/11 attacks in the United States two years before they took place.

He has said the criticism he faces is due to racism, saying he has “never experienced as much racism” as when he came to Norway. He has also compared himself to the likes of Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison, claiming they were “geniuses” and “misunderstood”.

On his website, he describes himself as a “visionary for the ‘Now Age'” who “demystifies spirituality”. He said his work had influenced actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Nina Dobrev.

He is also the author of Spirit Hacking: Shamanic keys to reclaim your personal power, transform yourself and light up the world, which contains some bold, unfounded claims:

 

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A post shared by Märtha Louise (@iam_marthalouise)

Verrett sells a ‘Spirit Optimiser’ medallion on his website, which he claims helped him overcome COVID-19:

 

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A post shared by Evan M. (@fusionelementals)

The 51-year-old princess has always been interested in alternative treatments and once started a school that aimed to help people “get in touch with their angels”.

She has also faced trauma, as her Norwegian writer and artist husband Ari Behn, whom she had three children with, suffered from depression and committed suicide on Christmas day 2019, two years after they divorced.

That’s when shaman Verrett entered her life and her popularity among the Norwegian public plummeted:

Her father seems to have unbending support for the couple, describing Verrett as “a great guy and very funny to be with”. He added that they’ve spoken and “agreed to disagree”.

As such, Verrett is being welcomed into the royal family as a person that the princess loves, but will by no means represent the Royal House of Norway.

 

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A post shared by Durek Verrett (@shamandurek)

The Royal House also stress that everyone involved has “great confidence in the Norwegian health service and the Norwegian health authorities”.

Princess Märtha Louise also said in a separate statement that she was “aware of the importance of research-based knowledge” but believes alternative medicine can be “an important supplement to help from the conventional medical establishment”.

[sources:bbc&tatler]