Princess Martha Louise of Norway was taken on a “surprise honeymoon” to Turkey by her new husband, “shaman” Durek Verrett, weeks after their controversial wedding.
The spiritual newlyweds, who claim to have first met in ancient times, tied the knot in a grand ceremony in Geiranger, Norway, in August, before 350 guests.
The union was filled with controversy, in part due to Verrett’s views, which included the belief that childhood cancer is caused by unhappiness.
Almost two months later, the couple is clearly going stronger than ever: Durek, 49, invites his new girlfriend, 53, to a private seaside villa in Turkey.
Images posted by the shaman on his Instagram account showed the loved-up couple slow dancing and relaxing by the pool.
Princess Martha Louise of Norway was taken to Türkiye on a “surprise honeymoon” by her new husband, the “shaman” Durek Verrett.
In his post, Verrett called the trip “paradise” and said he had prepared it for his new wife, the “purest of hearts.”
He wrote: ‘After our stunning, love-filled and truly enchanting wedding, shared with the most beautiful, creative and inspiring family and friends, I took my beloved wife on a surprise honeymoon, one designed for the purest of hearts.
“We traveled to a paradise where I spent my early years, surrounded by the loving and nurturing spirit of Turkey’s rich culture.”
The couple stayed at the private Mediterranean estate Villa Macakizi, and were even joined by friends and family.
Durek added: ‘Every moment was designed to make my wife feel as loved and cared for as she selflessly cares for everyone around her.
‘My love, this is just the beginning. There is much more to come.”
Princess Martha, who quit the royal family over her union with Verrett, took advantage of the comments to praise her new husband.
She wrote: ‘It was such a magical honeymoon. The best of all. And more than I could ever dream of. Thank you so much for this wonderful adventure, darling… It was a dream come true.’
Two months later, the couple is clearly going stronger than ever: Durek invites his new girlfriend to a private seaside villa in Türkiye.
Elsewhere on their trip, the couple enjoyed dinner by the sea and spent the day on a yacht with picturesque views.
Elsewhere on their trip, the couple enjoyed dinner by the sea and spent the day on a yacht with picturesque views.
Märtha, who describes herself as “spiritual” and claims to be clairvoyant, entered into a relationship with Durek after overcoming the loss of her first husband, Ari Behn, who committed suicide in 2019.
But things haven’t been easy for Märtha, as she was forced to leave her role as an active member of the royal family due to her fiancé’s controversial views.
Durek stated in a book that he believed that childhood cancer is caused by unhappiness.
He published ‘Spirit Hacking’ in 2019 in the US, but publishers banned it in Norway for insubstantial claims.
After reading a translation of the book from its original English, the publisher said at the time that they were surprised by a number of unproven statements made by Durek in the book.
Following their nuptials, senior members of Norway’s royal family partied into the early hours of the morning to celebrate Princess Martha Louise’s controversial marriage to Durek.
King Harald, 87 years old and in fragile health, did not return until after 1 in the morning to his royal yacht, which was anchored on the coast of the Geiranger Fjord.
Queen Sonja, also 87, told reporters waiting on the pier that they had enjoyed the gala dinner.
Photos posted by the shaman on his Instagram account showed the loved-up couple slow dancing and relaxing by the pool.
Princess Martha Louise of Norway and her American groom, shaman Durek, delighted the crowds filling the streets by sharing a kiss after their wedding.
The heir apparent, Crown Prince Haakon, his wife, Princess Mette-Marit, and their children, Princess Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus, stayed until the end and left the party at 3am.
They were photographed greeting journalists as they took a boat to the royal yacht, which has been protected by a Norwegian Navy ship. Princess Mette-Marit said: ‘There were many highlights (at the wedding).
Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon gave speeches at the wedding breakfast. But not King Harald, who had given the wedding speech at his daughter’s first marriage to author Ari Behn in 2002.
The four-day wedding celebrations concluded today with a lavish brunch until 1:00 p.m. The guests were then transferred by bus and ferry to Ålesund airport, located about two and a half hours away.
The newlywed couple last night delighted the crowds lining the streets outside the wedding venue by sharing a kiss before the gala dinner.
Social media influencers, reality TV stars and TV personalities were among the guests when the Norwegian king’s eldest daughter married the self-proclaimed American shaman.
Martha Louise and Durek, who says he is a sixth-generation shaman from California, were married in the small, picturesque town of Geiranger, one of Norway’s top tourist attractions located on a fjord with stunning views.
The newlyweds had taken an impromptu stroll to thank the few dozen well-wishers who had arrived at the small fjord-side town to pay their respects.
The couple kissed in front of the press and spectators after the ceremony.
Princess Martha and her husband Durek greeted people from a balcony.
The couple left the Union Hotel in Geiranger shortly after 6:30 pm local time to huge applause from the crowd.
Families with young children, elderly residents and young couples had waited for hours to see the princess and her new husband.
The newlyweds beamed with pride as they waved to the crowd before returning to the hotel for the wedding breakfast and party that lasted into the early hours of the morning.
The wedding ceremony took place in a large white tent set up in a farm meadow overlooking a spectacular fjord.
Guests told media that Norwegian and American artists performed at the event along with a gospel choir and a singer representing Norway’s indigenous Sami people.
Norwegian TV personality Harald Ronneberg told public broadcaster NRK: “It was fantastic!” It was Hollywood and Geiranger. It was gospel and love. We laughed, applauded and were moved. It was absolutely beautiful.’
The couple sold the rights to the wedding photographs to British celebrity magazine Hello! and the film rights to Netflix.
The deals sparked protests from Norwegian media, which said the deal goes against local practices.
The couple often lashed out at the press while promoting themselves on social media.
After getting married, the couple unveiled a new unofficial monogram to honor “their past life together in Egypt” “with important symbolism.”
The spiritual newlyweds, who claim to have first met in ancient times, instagram to share the stylized art, which sees an M stacked on top of a D.
‘We are very honored and grateful to share our monogram with you. This is not an official monogram, as I no longer represent the royal family at official functions. “This monogram is simply a wonderful emblem with important symbolism for both @shamandurek and I to embrace our love,” Martha wrote.
The spiritual newlyweds, who claim to have met in ancient times, took to Instagram to share the stylized art, which sees an M stacked on top of a D.
‘Thank you so much to the amazing team @anti_hamar for embracing our souls in this representation of the two of us.
“You’ve done a great job capturing our essence in a single symbol.”
Martha, who said the monogram “encompasses Egyptian hieroglyphics and symbols,” explained the artwork in detail.
The M, he said, of course, means Martha, and the letter corresponds to the hieroglyph for an owl.a guardian of souls who navigates between worlds.”
Meanwhile, D is for Durek, which in hieroglyphics would be represented as a hand, a ‘symbol of actions performed with grace, opening doors and dancing through life.”
Also appearing in the monogram is the Eye of Horus, which means “healing and knowledge”; horses, which have been “a central animal throughout their lives”; a heart for ‘unconditional love’; an infinity symbol for their “eternal bond” and a diamond “representing the portal between the physical and metaphysical realms.”
