Princess Martha of Norway and her fiancé Durek Verrett are getting married in less than two weeks and it looks like they want to give their guests an unforgettable experience.
The wedding, which will take place on Saturday 31 August, is expected to be attended by other foreign royal families, along with their closest friends and family, who are expected to adhere to a ‘cool and sexy’ dress code.
The 51-year-old royal first met Durek, a shaman, in 2019 after they were introduced by a mutual friend.
But the couple claimed to have known each other from a previous life, specifically from the time of ancient Egypt.
According to the organization, they will get married in the Geirangerfjord in western Norway. Hello magazine reporting on the couple’s wedding.
Princess Martha met Durek – a shaman – in 2019 after they were introduced by a mutual friend (pictured last year)
The scenic area is known for its natural beauty and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Martha wrote earlier on Instagram: ‘We are so happy to be able to celebrate our love in the beautiful surroundings of Geiranger.
‘It means a lot to us to gather our loved ones in a place so rich in history and intense natural experiences. Geiranger is the perfect place to embrace our love.’
The ceremony will take place at Hotel Union in the village of Geiranger, a four-star hotel with a spa, indoor and outdoor pools, its own nightclub and even a classic car museum.
But it seems that Princess Martha and Shaman Durek want to start their marriage two days before their wedding, on Thursday, September 29.
Their pre-wedding event will kick off with a meet-and-greet party and the couple have told their guests the dress code is “cool and sexy.”
Martha and Durek rented the garden of Hotel 1904 for their party in the picturesque coastal town of Alesund.
The hotel is named after the great fire of Ålesund that hit the city in 1904 and destroyed almost the entire city centre.
Hotel 1904 seems to be popular with the royal family, as it was previously visited by King Haakon of Norway.
It follows an Art Nouveau theme and prides itself on being historical yet modern. The garden has its own espresso bar and dining area and even has direct access to a shopping mall.
Martha’s three teenage daughters, Maud Angelica, 21, Leah Isadora, 19, and Emma Tallulah, 15, are expected to be three of the seven bridesmaids (all pictured in 2022)
Martha and Durek rented the garden of Hotel 1904 for their party in the picturesque coastal town of Alesund (pictured)
On Friday, family and friends can enjoy a luxury boat trip across the Geirangerfjord to the village of Geiranger, taking in the beautiful views (pictured)
Last year, Martha celebrated her fiancé ‘Shaman’ Durek Verrett’s birthday by sharing a photo of artist Maud with the businessman
Pastor Margit Lovise Holte (bottom left) will marry Princess Martha and shaman Durek, but Pastor Michael Beckwith, who was a guest on Oprah Winfrey’s podcast Super Soul, will also be involved.
On Friday, family and friends can enjoy a luxury boat trip across the Geirangerfjord to the village of Geiranger, taking in the beautiful views.
Princess Martha and shaman Durek then host a Latin American pre-wedding party at Hotel Union, including salsa dancing.
Then the ceremony takes place, where the couple has a total of seven bridesmaids and seven groomsmen.
Martha’s three teenage daughters, Maud Angelica, 21, Leah Isadora, 19, and Emma Tallulah, 15, are expected to be three of the seven bridesmaids.
Her parents, King Harald and Queen Sonja, are also expected to attend, along with her brother Crown Prince Haakon and his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
Princess Martha appears to have a close bond with her family. She previously told the BBC: ‘I can remember my mother and father saying from a young age that we should stick together, that we should talk things through, even if it’s difficult, that we should put all our cards on the table because we’re family, and that we should work through things, despite all the turmoil.’
Shaman Durek announced in June that Pastor Margit Lovise Holte will perform their wedding.
Reverend Michael Beckwith, who was a guest on Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul podcast, will also be involved in the wedding.
He said in an Instagram post at the time: ‘We are pleased to announce that Pastor Margit Lovise Holte will officiate at our wedding in Geiranger on August 31st, following the wedding liturgy of the Church of Norway.
“Reverend Michael Beckwith will also participate in the ceremony with a salute. We look forward with great joy to this wonderful day.”
This will be followed by a wedding breakfast and reception, celebrating the lifelong bond between the two.
Queen Sonja of Norway and King Harald of Norway are pictured with their daughter, Princess Martha Louise in 2017
Martha, who describes herself as “spiritual” and claims to be clairvoyant, began dating Durek after she recovered from the loss of her first husband, Ari Behn, who committed suicide in 2019.
But it wasn’t easy for Martha, because she was forced to fulfill her role as a working member of the royal family because of her fiancé’s controversial views.
Durek wrote in a book that he is convinced that childhood cancer is caused by unhappiness.
He published ‘Spirit Hacking’ in the US in 2019, but publishers banned it in Norway because of its unsubstantiated claims.
After reading a translation of the book from English, the publisher said they were shocked by a number of unsubstantiated statements made by Durek in the book.
Princess Martha caused further controversy last month when she reportedly used her title to send a letter asking her mother-in-law to cease her activities.
The document is believed to contain a threat of legal action over the 81-year-old’s “defamation” and “false statements”.
In interviews with a celebrity magazine See and hearVeruschka Urquhart called her son “dangerous” and claimed he had “brainwashed” the princess and that their family was not as wealthy as Durek would have him believe.
Marius Borg Høiby, 27, the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway from a previous relationship, has been charged with assault after a woman was left in hospital with a concussion
Marius Borg Høiby, 27, (left) spent more than 30 hours in custody after an incident at an apartment in Frogner, Oslo – where a woman in her 20s called police earlier this month (pictured with Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Crown Prince Haakon and the Crown Princess in 2022)
The publication claimed to have shared the “shocking letter, word for word,” in which Martha allegedly threatened her future mother-in-law with a multimillion-dollar lawsuit if she did not retract her words.
This comes as Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, spent more than 30 hours in custody following an incident at an apartment in Frogner, Oslo, where a woman in her 20s called police on August 4.
According to See and hearThe 27-year-old is said to have attacked the woman ‘mentally and physically’.
Former car mechanic Høiby, also known as the ‘black sheep’ of the Norwegian royal family, has now openly admitted his guilt for the first time and offered a groveling apology to Mrs Arntsen and his loved ones.
In his statement, which he gave to state broadcaster NRK earlier this week through his lawyer, he said he suffers from “multiple mental disorders” and that he has “long struggled with substance abuse”, for which he will now resume treatment.
Reportedly, photos were taken of his lover’s Oslo home after the fight, showing a knife in the wall and a broken chandelier. In July, Borg Høiby went public with his relationship with Mrs Arntsen.
It is not known whether Marius will attend the wedding of Princess Martha and shaman Durek.