Netflix has today released the first look at a new documentary detailing the romance between Princess Martha Louise of Norway and her husband, American ‘Shaman’ Durek Verrett – and it will likely make Prince Harry and Meghan Markle look tame.
Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story is set to take an ‘intimate look’ at the love story between the eldest daughter of Norway’s King and the Hollywood ‘half-reptilian and bisexual’ Shaman when it is released in September.
The film follows the couple as they ‘navigate a swirl of controversy’ and prepare for their wedding, which took place in the knot in the picturesque small town of Geiranger last year.
The couple 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.
In a trailer for their upcoming show, released today, Durek, 50, admitted he thought he’d end up with a ‘man or alien‘ before he eventually wed Norway’s Crown Princess. Durek himself was previously engaged to masseur Hank Greenberg, who he was in a relationship with for eight years from 2007.
He also reveals that Princess Martha ‘fell in love with me first’ and that he was ‘apprehensive’ at the start of their romance.
‘As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter if it’s a male or female, or it could be another being from another planet,’ he continued, before the footage cut to a video call, where the Shaman claimed he is ‘half-reptilian’.
Elsewhere in the trailer, he said: ‘Marrying into the royal family, it’s just very very surreal.’
Netflix has today released the first look at a new documentary detailing the romance between Princess Martha Louise of Norway and her husband, American ‘Shaman’ Durek Verrett
Princess Martha added: ‘The royal family is very very loved. They were like, “who is this man and where is he taking our princess?”‘ A lot of people expected me to be a certain way and live up to who I’m supposed to be, and I don’t.
‘Because he is a Shaman, people say that he is dangerous for the royal family and I am brainwashed.’
Durek also admitted that when he first met Martha’s parents, King Harald and Queen Sonja, he had ‘no clue’ what to do.
He said: ‘It’s not easy being the first Black man marrying into the European royal family and I’m the first.’
The preview also saw the couple taking part in ‘prayer’ rituals, singing ‘ancient songs’ and preparing for their wedding nuptials, with the eyes of the world upon them.
The Shaman 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 ‘poppy’.
When Martha explained that the wedding was planned for 3pm, Durek reminded her of their astrologers’ advice and said he would need to get ‘new co-ordinates’ first.
‘I would like a royal wedding, because I’m going to be a royal,’ he said.
The film follows the couple as they ‘navigate a swirl of controversy’ and prepare for their wedding (pictured), which took place in the knot in the picturesque small town of Geiranger last year
The couple (pictured at their wedding) 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
In a trailer for their upcoming show, released today, Durek, 50, admitted he thought he’d end up with a ‘man or alien ‘
The film is being headed up by Emmy-nominated director Rebecca Chaiklin, who worked on Tiger King, and producer Chris Smith.
Chaiklin said: ‘When I saw the Vanity Fair article about a princess and a shaman falling in love, it instantly caught my eye. Märtha Louise and Shaman Durek were two completely unexpected, wild, and charismatic characters from totally different worlds, navigating a swirl of controversy and fighting for love.
‘It was a great fish-out-of-water story – and they were so funny. So I just had to convince them (and the spirits) that I was “lit” enough to be the one to tell their story.’
Last year, Netflix confirmed via a press release that it was making an ‘in-depth and moving documentary’ about Princess Martha Louise and Shaman Durek’s ‘love story’.
Princess Martha-Louise’s first wedding to author Ari Behn in 2002 followed the Royal Family’s media protocol.
However, the mother-of-three relinquished her royal role in November 2022, in a move that was dubbed ‘Norway’s Megxit’.
Eyebrows were raised when the Princess first began dating Verrett, 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.
Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story tells of the scrutiny the couple faced in the lead-up to their 2024 wedding
Princess Martha admits they have faced a lot of scrutiny as she has not conformed to a traditional royal role
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.
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.’
Durek admitted he was initially ‘apprehensive’ about marrying into the Norwegian royal family
In 2002, Durek – who has previously spoken about being HIV positive – sensationally claimed he died of renal failure and came back to life
Last August, Princess Martha and Durek tied the knot in Norway after three days of wedding festivities
Elsewhere in the television special, the mother touched on how her ex-husband Ari Behn – who took his own life in December 2019 – handled being in the spotlight.
Following their wedding in 2002, the royal said the father of her three children – who made a name for himself as an author -said he didn’t receive good reviews of his work.
She added: ‘His mental health depended a lot on him getting criticism in the media.
‘But I am not saying it was anyone’s fault. It is always how you handle criticism. The press took self-criticism after he died, that they were perhaps a little harsh towards him, and that he only received criticism and was actually a very nice person.’
In June 2022, the newly-engaged couple appeared in a video together on Durek’s Instagram account where the American spiritual guide – whose celebrity clients have included Gwyneth Paltrow, Nina Dobrev and James Van Der Beek – hit back at online trolling they’ve faced.
He said: ‘One, they don’t want to see a black man in the Royal Family because there’s never been one in the history of the European royal family.
‘Second, she’s a female – it’s different when a royal prince chooses a woman of colour because it’s like, “oh he’s a man, he can choose whoever he wants”.
‘But for a princess to choose a man of colour, has never been done in history. So it’s really though for a lot of people to be able to handle that.’
Princess Martha Louise of Norway and her US groom Shaman Durek delighted crowds lining the streets by sharing a kiss as the wed after three days of festivities
Princess Martha and husband Durek greeted people from a balcony
Waving to the press and people who came to line the streets to see them as they wed
Princess Martha Louise of Norway is pictured in her role as a working royal in November 2021
By Durek’s own account, in a 2020 interview with Vanity Fair, he grew up in extreme wealth with domestic servants and private planes thanks to his successful architect father.
However, his own mother has refuted his version of a privileged upbringing – and there are plenty of other questions raised about an undoubtedly colourful past, which saw him spend a year in jail as well as being arrested several times.
In 2002, Durek – who has previously spoken about being HIV positive – sensationally claimed he died of renal failure and came back to life, cementing his path to being a shaman.
A decade later later, the spiritual healer – who flits between describing himself as a ‘third and sixth generation shaman’ – raised more than $20,000 for kidney transplant surgery, with his sister as his donor.
The fundraiser was supported by his fiancé, masseur Hank Greenberg, who he was in a relationship with for eight years from 2007.
Things came to an end when Durek was arrested in 2015 for attacking him at their California home. Hank would later describe his former fiancé as ‘not a good man’.
The incidents have gone largely under the radar after being overshadowed by more recent controveries, including his suggestion that childhood cancer is caused by unhappiness.
Durek was also dropped by his publisher shortly after the couple announced their engagement in June 2022 over pseudoscientific claims he made in his book ‘Spirit Hacking’.
Pictured: Princess Martha Louise’s husband Durek Verret with his celebrity client Gwyneth Paltrow
The controversial American Shaman once claimed he came back from the dead and has been known to associate childhood cancers with unhappiness
The princess meanwhile – she has retained the title – has said she can talk with angels, while Verrett claims that he communicates with a broad range of spirits and has a medallion which helps ward off spells and cure diseases.
Last August, Princess Martha and Durek tied the knot in Norway after three days of wedding festivities.
Guests told media outlets that Norwegian and U.S. 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 meets Geiranger. It was gospel and love. We laughed, we clapped, and we were touched. It was absolutely beautiful.’
The couple sold the wedding photo rights to British celebrity magazine Hello! and the film rights to Netflix. The deals prompted protests from Norwegian media, which said the arrangement goes against local practices.
Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story will release globally on Netflix on September 16.
