A Fairy Tale for Netflix: A Norwegian Princess Weds an American Shaman

OSLO, Norway — There was no castle, nor were there throngs of exuberant crowds to celebrate this royal wedding. Nonetheless, the nuptials Saturday of a Norwegian princess and an American self-described shaman attracted public fascination at home and a Netflix deal abroad.

The royal involved — Princess Martha Louise, daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway — wed American Durek Verrett after years of often mocking public scrutiny, largely because of Verrett’s alternative views on health and wellness. The ceremony, a private affair in the remote, picturesque Norwegian village of Geiranger, attracted a gaggle of reporters and a modest crowd of curious residents.

The couple sailed into Geiranger, nestled in the majestic Geirangerfjord, a world heritage site, on the royal yacht Friday, along with members of the royal family, including Harald and Sonja, according to an official statement.

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The celebrations Saturday began with brunch, with the option of a spa treatment available for all guests, according to a copy of the program seen by The New York Times. The day’s schedule also included an afternoon tea, early evening cocktails and a gala dinner. At 10:50 p.m., “the party begins,” the program said, promising late night snacks at 1 a.m.

The ceremony itself was held in a marquee on a farm whose meadows overlook the fjords. The couple, stung by the years of critical news coverage, had tried — and failed — to keep the location a secret. The three-day event was privately financed, the royal family said, but that did not stop reporters from speculating about the cost of security arrangements for those attending.

During the couple’s two-year engagement, the media in Norway often made fun of Verrett’s beliefs in alternative healing — he was even lampooned in an episode of an animated television show. The negative coverage has not, however, deterred the couple from planning to share their wedding with the world.

Last week, Netflix announced that it was producing a documentary about the couple’s love story. The production, as yet untitled, was to be led by Rebecca Chaiklin, who was behind the pandemic-era streaming hit “Tiger King.” To make the show, a crew followed Martha Louise and Verrett for more than a year as they prepared for their wedding.

The couple also sold their wedding pictures to British tabloid Hello! in an exclusive deal that saw them pose in matching outfits to greet their guests and dance at a salsa party Friday night. Apart from the financial rewards for the couple, the deals were also viewed as an attempt to shift the often negative portrayal of their relationship.

That might be a tall order. “I can’t imagine anything less interesting than that wedding,” Mads Hansen, a Norwegian television personality, told a local broadcaster. “The best thing for everyone would have been if no one mentioned it, and it quietly passed by. Ironically, I’m saying this in an interview, which contributes to a story that also adds to this coverage.”

On television and online, the wedding was the story of the day in Norway, despite the attempts to keep proceedings low key. The Norwegian public has become increasingly critical of the country’s monarchy, even if 87-year-old Harald remains popular.

A poll in August by Norwegian public broadcaster NRK showed that 40% of respondents had an increasingly negative view of the royal family, with some pointing to the princess’ relationship with Verrett as one of the reasons. Martha Louise is fourth in line to the throne.

The couple, who met in 2019, have leaned into a brand of alternative healing that has drawn criticism from some medical experts who deride it as pseudoscience, even as it has attracted tens of thousands of online devotees. Verrett, who says he is a sixth-generation shaman, counts as his clients actresses Selma Blair and Nina Dobrev, and has described Gwyneth Paltrow as “family.”

Martha Louise, who was previously married and has three daughters, has a long-documented interest in alternative treatments and celestial interactions, and has claimed an ability to communicate with angels and the dead. She once started a center where she encouraged her students to find their “inner source of truth,” and she has co-hosted a tour of healing workshops with Verrett called “The Princess and the Shaman.”

Two years ago, Martha Louise stepped away from her official responsibilities as the bad press coverage mounted. She and Verrett were “seeking to distinguish more clearly between their activities and the Royal House of Norway,” the royal family said in a statement at the time.

Still, seeing the royal yacht glide down the fjord Friday struck a chord with Oyvind Skodje, an engineer in his 30s who lives in a town near Geiranger.

“I think it says a lot about the king and queen,” Skodje said. “They are down-to-earth and inclusive, and supportive of their children, no matter what choices they make.

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