Controversial American shaman Durek Verrett has taken a swipe at Norway’s King Harald V and Queen Sonja as he admitted they thought ‘everything’ I did was wrong’ in a new documentary.
Durek also questioned why nothing was initially done to protect him from racist online attack after his engagement to Princess Märtha Louise.
Durek, 51, who married the 53-year-old princess last August amid public outcry over his ‘controversial’ past, said that it wasn’t until Meghan Markle‘s interview with Oprah Winfrey that the King checked up on him.
The self-styled spiritual guru claimed the only reason Harald, 85, reached out was out of concern that he would ‘be the next one on Oprah’ in a new Netflix docuseries about the couple’s relationship.
Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story takes an ‘intimate look’ at the love story between and Märtha, 53, and the ‘half-reptilian and bisexual’ shaman in a production that makes Harry & Meghan seem tame.
During the docuseries, the Hollywood shaman took a jab at royal protocol, claimed he was often bored at royal events because conversation was ‘flat’, and fundamentally disagreed with the Norwegian way of life.
He found Märtha’s parents ‘hated my clothes’ after he showed up to their first meeting wearing a ‘kimono and cowboy boots’.
‘I mean, pretty much everything I did was wrong,’ he said ‘And they would always let Märtha know that I was wrong.’
Controversial American shaman Durek Verrett has taken a swipe at Norway’s King Harald V and Queen Sonja as he admitted they thought ‘everything’ I did was wrong’ in a new documentary. He is pictured here with Princess Märtha Louise on their wedding day in the Netflix show Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story
Durek did not feel accepted by his future in-laws, as he said: ‘It wasn’t like, “Oh, welcome to our family. We love you. We get you.”
‘It was like, “Why are you with this guy?” Durek continued.
Durek, who is of Norwegian, Indian, and Haitian descent, also said he felt extremely ‘judged’ in Norway and went into ‘deep, deep depressions’ after being ‘bombarded’ with hateful messages about his race on Instagram.
He claimed to have experienced racism at a royal dinner in Denmark after being questioned about his African heritage when a guest pointed out the portraits on the walls were of ‘people who enslaved your people’.
Durek added members of the Norwegian Royal family would ‘look at me like I was crazy when I said there was racism’ in the new show that was released today.
He said his in-laws ‘would do nothing to help me’ against offensive coverage, including when a publication used a racial slur in a story about Durek.
‘And it was only when Harry and Meghan went into the press with Oprah did I get a message from the King saying, “Do you feel that we treated you the same way?”
‘When I said yes, they were like, “Okay we need to have a family discussion.”
Durek also questioned why nothing was done to protect him from racist press coverage after his engagement to Princess Märtha Louise – until Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021
Rebel Royals : An Unlikely Love Story takes an ‘intimate look’ at the love story between and Märtha, 53, and the ‘half-reptilian and bisexual’ shaman in a production that makes Harry & Meghan seem tame
Durek added members of the Norwegian Royal family would ‘look at me like I was crazy when I said there was racism’ in the new show that was released today
‘And, of course, my family was like “They don’t want to have a discussion because they don’t want to treat you that way. They want to have a family discussion ’cause they’re afraid you might be the next one on Oprah.”‘
Meghan Markle accused the Royal Family of racism during the tell-all after she and husband Prince Harry quit The Firm and relocated to Montecito, California.
After their meeting with Durek, King Harald released a statement condemning the ‘racist attitudes’ he had endured – as Prince Harry praised the monarch for ‘leading by example’.
The indulgent documentary follows the couple, who got married in the picturesque Norwegian village Geiranger last August, as they ‘navigate a swirl of controversy’ while preparing for their nuptials.
The documentary included footage of Durek looking bored at a Belgian equestrian event attended by Princess Astrid, as he admitted it was ‘awkward’ adjusting to Märtha’s life.
Durek rolled his eyes while revealing he could never tell whether to call someone as ‘Your Royal Highness’ or ‘Your Majesty’ – and was even corrected by Belgium’s princess when he addressed her incorrectly.
‘I quite admire your fashion sense, Your Majesty,’ he told Astrid, before she curtly replied: ‘Your Royal Highness.’
He criticised the ‘controlled’ atmosphere at royal gatherings where attendees are expected to have certain ‘mannerisms’ as Durek said: ‘There’s no slouching, you can’t slouch in your chair.’
During the docuseries, the Hollywood shaman took a jab at royal protocol, claimed he was often bored at royal events because conversation was ‘flat’, and fundamentally disagreed with the Norwegian way of life
The indulgent documentary follows the couple, who got married in the picturesque Norwegian village Geiranger last August, as they ‘navigate a swirl of controversy’ while preparing for their nuptials
In seemingly disparaging remarks, he added: ‘The conversations are not nuanced at all, it’s very flat.’
In comments that appeared to echo Meghan’s sentiments about becoming a royal, Durek continued: ‘And so how do I be myself but also blend in with her life as a princess?’
Meghan, who married Prince Harry in 2018, has similarly spoken about being baffled by royal protocol in her interview with Oprah in March 2020.
The former Suits actress admitted she didn’t know she had to curtsy to the late Queen Elizabeth II after being introduced for the first time.
The Duchess of Sussex, 44, also revealed she was informally dressed in ‘ripped jeans’ when she met the Prince and Princess of Wales for the first time.
In Netflix’s Harry & Meghan, she said: ‘They came over for dinner, I remember I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot. I was a hugger, I’ve always been a hugger, I didn’t realise that is really jarring for a lot of Brits.’
Meghan explained that she quickly discovered that the royals’ ‘forward-facing way of being’ in public ‘carries over on both sides’.
Elsewhere in Rebel Royals, Durek – who was perceived by the Norwegian public and press as a ‘con artist’ – revealed he was adamant he wanted a royal wedding ‘because I’m going to be a royal’.
When Märtha’s engagement to the Los Angeles-based spiritual healer was announced in June 2022, the princess faced mounting pressure to renounce her title after Durek’s ‘controversial’ beliefs were revealed
The Shaman also asked his bride-to-be if he would have his own make-up artist for the wedding, explaining that he wanted his pictures to be ‘popping’.
When Märtha’s engagement to the Los Angeles-based spiritual healer was announced in June 2022, the princess faced mounting pressure to renounce her title after Durek’s ‘controversial’ beliefs were revealed.
Months later, King Harald announced his daughter will not represent the Royal household in any form, after the mother-of-three initially stepped down as a working royal in 2019.
Although the monarch allowed Princess Märtha Louise to retain her royal title, he father re-iterated that she will not be allowed to use it in any future commercial partnerships with Durek.
Durek faced swift backlash after he claimed cancer is a choice and promoted a number of unfounded medical practices, including selling a $222 Spirit Optimizer medallion that he claimed helped him overcome Covid-19.
Last year, Durek made headlines after he was accused of assaulting Swedish father-of-two Joachim Boström in one of his ‘spiritual sessions. Durek has strenuously denied the claims, which he says were later dropped.
This was after he admitted he ‘made a mistake’ in sessions with five of his clients in audio recordings obtained by Norwegian newspaper Se og Hor.
In the three voice messages, Verrett reveals he performed oral sex on one of his male clients after their session and helped a woman ‘clean’ her vagina after she had ‘violent’ sex with her partner.
Last year, Durek made headlines after he was accused of assaulting Swedish father-of-two Joakim Boström in one of his ‘spiritual sessions’ – claims he has strenuously denied
This was after he admitted he ‘made a mistake’ in sessions with five of his clients in audio recordings obtained by Norwegian newspaper Se og Hor.
The shocking conversations took place with MTV star Eric Nies in 2020, who shared them with the paper in light of the recent allegations against Verrett. Mr Nies’s side of the conversation is not heard in the recordings.
In one recording, the Shaman can be heard saying: ‘I have crossed – I did cross – the line one time with [name redacted]. I did.
‘And it was a mistake and I’m aware of that mistake. And I did cross the line when [name redacted] pulled out his c***.
‘I should have never sucked his c***. I should have just left it and put the sheet back over it, but we finished with the session and I asked him. I said, “do you want to go here?’
Martha-Louise and Durek were introduced by friends in 2019 and have claimed to have known each other in a past life, specifically from the days of ancient Egypt.
Eyebrows were raised when the Princess first began dating Durek, who holds some controversial and pseudoscientific views, including that cancer in children can be caused by ‘being unhappy’.
In an interview with the BBC last year, Martha-Louise praised her parents, King Harald an Queen Sonja, for keeping the dialogue open while she made her decision and they worked out the details about how the arrangements would work.
When asked about her decision in comparison with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who also stepped down as senior royals, she spoke about her ‘amazing’ family, including King Harald and Queen Sonja, and how the dialogue between them has always remained open.
Martha-Louise and Durek were introduced by friends in 2019 and have claimed to have known each other in a past life, specifically from the days of ancient Egypt
The Princess said she decided she wanted to ‘earn my own money’ which she could only do by giving up her ‘money from the state’ and paying taxes for the first time in her life.
After giving up her position in the royal family, the Princess revealed she has had to deal with ‘lots of scrutiny’ – particularly when she takes on new roles.
‘Everything you do that’s a first, that goes out of the box that you’re put in,’ she said, adding that press scrutiny has ‘continued’.
She added that, in Norway, spiritual beliefs like the ones she holds are ‘taboo’.
Her comments echoed an interview she gave on Swedish TV in March, in which she claimed she had ‘received the most criticism of anyone in Norway’ for her beliefs.
As she sat down with Anna Hedenmo on Min Sanning – which translates to My Truth – the royal said she felt she needed to step back because of public image.
She said: ‘I am probably the one in Norway who has received the most criticism of all, I think.’
