Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Norway princess quits royal duties for alternative medicine

Norway princess quits royal duties for alternative medicine

Norway's Princess Märtha Louise has relinquished her royal duties to focus on her alternative medicine business with her fiancé, a self-styled shaman.
The Princess will keep her title, but is surrendering official duties to "create a clearer dividing line" between her private and royal role.

Her fiancé, Durek Verrett, has promoted unfounded medical practices, including suggesting cancer is a choice.

The American also claims to have influenced Gwyneth Paltrow.

Princess Märtha Louise is "relinquishing her patronage role" as she and Mr Verrett seek to "distinguish more clearly between their activities and the Royal House of Norway", the palace said in a statement. It added that King Harald V had decided she would keep her title.

"She has performed her duties with warmth, care and deep commitment," the statement said.

Despite the announcement, King Harald described Mr Verrett as a "a great guy and very funny to be with".

"He has a lot of humour, and we laugh a lot, even in this difficult time. I think both we and he have gained a greater understanding of what this is about, and we've agreed to disagree," King Harald told Norwegian reporters.

In a separate statement, Princess Märtha Louise said she was "aware of the importance of research-based knowledge", but that she believed alternative medicine can be "an important supplement to help from the conventional medical establishment".

She added that it was important to "distinguish between myself as a private person on the one hand and as a member of the Royal Family on the other".

The Princess, 51, has attracted controversy in Norway for decades for her involvement in alternative treatments, including starting a school that aimed to help people "get in touch with their angels". She has been accused of using her royal title for competitive gain.

In 2002, she married Norwegian writer and artist Ari Behn and the couple had three daughters. They divorced in 2017 and Mr Behn - who had discussed suffering from depression - died by suicide on Christmas Day 2019.

In June, Princess Märtha Louise became engaged to Mr Verrett. She announced the relationship in a 2019 Instagram post, pre-empting potential criticism.

In the post, she said: "To those of you who feel the need to criticise: Hold your horses. It is not up to you to choose for me or to judge me. Shaman Durek is merely a man I love spending my time with and who fulfils me."

Despite that post, the couple have attracted considerable criticism among many in Norway, with Mr Verrett variously being described as "a charlatan", a conman and a conspiracy theorist.

Former Prime Minister Erna Solberg described his views as "very strange" and "not based on facts", adding that his ideas promoted conspiracy theories.

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.

A survey published in September found that just 13% of Norwegians thought Princess Märtha Louise should represent the Royal Family in official duties.

A royal biographer told local media: "I think this is more about the occult phenomenon she's been associated with, than the princess as a person."
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
China Presses Netherlands to “properly” Resolve the Nexperia Seizure as Supply Chain Risks Grow
Merz Attacks Migrants, Sparks Uproar, and Refuses to Apologize: “Ask Your Daughters”
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
×