Princess Märtha Louise of Norway
Princess Märtha Louise | |
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wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O'Neill | |
Born | The National Hospital,[1] Oslo, Norway | 22 September 1971
Spouse | |
Partner | Durek Verrett (2019–present) |
Issue |
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Sonja Haraldsen |
Norwegian royal family |
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* Member of the Norwegian Royal House |
Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (born 22 September 1971) is a member of the
Märtha Louise is the elder child and only daughter of
Märtha Louise is active as a private businesswoman and alternative therapist, and does not carry out official engagements on behalf of the royal house.
As part of her withdrawal into private professional life, Märtha Louise lost the style "Royal Highness" in 2002; the lower style "Highness" is occasionally used informally. She has often faced criticism in Norway for her claims of being clairvoyant and for exploiting her constitutional title as princess commercially;[13][14][7] in 2019, the royal court announced that she will no longer use the title princess in her business activities as a clairvoyant.[15] In 2022, she relinquished her remaining royal duties to concentrate on alternative medicine.[16]
Early life
Princess Märtha Louise was born on 22 September 1971 at
In 1973, Märtha Louise's younger brother,
Education and career
Princess Märtha Louise is a certified
On 1 January 2002, Princess Märtha Louise started her own business, in order to work with more freedom from her constitutional role as a princess. She began paying income tax, and the King, after consulting her, issued a royal edict which removed Princess Märtha Louise's style of Royal Highness (she is conventionally accorded the lesser style Highness abroad, although this style has no legal standing in Norway).[17] However, she retains her place in the line of succession, and though her activities were reduced, she still carries out some public duties on behalf of the King.
After several postponements due to family births and her father's illness, during which the princess took on some representation duties, Princess Märtha Louise and her husband moved to New York City in October 2004. In 2004, her first book, a children's story about the first royal family of Norway was released – Why Kings and Queens Don't Wear Crowns. Accompanying the book is a CD version of the Princess reading her story aloud.
Princess Märtha Louise has studied physiotherapy, trained as a Rosen therapist and studied at an academy for holistic medicine.[17] She claims she can communicate with animals and angels and started her own alternative therapy center named Astarte Education, after one of the oldest goddesses in the Middle East.[18][19] Astarte Education offered a three-year course on healing, readings, and angels.[20] The princess drew criticism in Norway after the announcement that she would start Astarte Education. The newspaper Bergens Tidende called for her to give up her royal titles.[21] Norwegian state director of Health Lars E. Hanssen, Norwegian alternative medicine advocate Dr. Bernt Rognlien, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), religious historian Asbjørn Dyrendal and University of Oslo theology professor Inge Lønning all expressed misgivings about the princess's plans.[22] Swedish author Jan Guillou questioned the princess's mental health.[20]
On 11 August 2007, Märtha Louise defended the school on NRK, the Norwegian public service television network. In the interview, she regarded her relationship with angels as "creatures of light, which gave her a feeling of a strong presence and a strong and loving support." She responded to criticism that she should leave the Church of Norway by stating she still considered herself a Christian that was thankful the Church still had room for her.[23]
On 2 October 2007, Princess Märtha Louise became the first member of the Norwegian royal family to ever appear in a court of law as she wanted to halt sales of a book entitled Martha's Angels, which used her photo on its cover without permission. She stated that she felt "commercially exploited" by the book's use of her photo, which she regarded as misuse of her name and picture. Film critic Pål Bang-Hansen stated that Märtha Louise was a "thief and hypocrite", claiming that she had stolen translated texts from his father's books.[24]
In 2007, the Princess was editor of the book Prinsesse Märtha Louises eventyrlige verden, Eventyr fra jordens hjerte, Rodinia containing 67
Princess Märtha Louise's Fund
Her Royal Highness Princess Märtha Louise's Fund was founded on 15 September 1972 and awards funds to projects carried out by non-governmental organizations in order to provide assistance to disabled children under the age of 16 in Norway. Princess Märtha Louise is the fund's chairperson. In 2005, the fund had assets of approximately NOK 13,285,000, and total annual allocations came to about NOK 500,000.[25]
Controversy
In 2014, Princess Märtha Louise faced some criticism due to her association with British clairvoyant Lisa Williams. Williams was in Oslo on 14 September 2014, and gave a seminar for Soulspring, formerly known as the Angel School, which Princess Märtha Louise co-founded. Williams is known for her claims that she can communicate with the deceased. The Soulspring website carried the following message: "We in Soulspring do not communicate with dead souls in our work. And here is where our work is separate from Lisa's. To be completely honest, we don't see the point of contacting the dead. They passed over to the other side for a reason and should be allowed to stay there." No one representing the royal family commented.[26]
Marriage and family
On 24 May 2002, Princess Märtha Louise married author Ari Behn (1972–2019) in Trondheim.[27][28] The couple had three daughters: Maud Angelica, Leah Isadora, and Emma Tallulah – all of whom are untitled. The family lived in Islington, London and Lommedalen, Bærum.[29][30] Emma Tallulah Behn is a junior member of the national equestrian team, and won a bronze medal during the Norwegian National Horse Jumping Championships in 2021.[31]
The couple divorced in 2017.[32] In 2016, the Royal Court had announced that Märtha Louise and Behn would have joint custody of their three daughters.[33] Ari Behn died by suicide on Christmas Day 2019.[34]
In May 2019, the princess announced that she was in a relationship with an American citizen, a self-styled
The newspaper iTromsø noted that Märtha Louise has faced extensive criticism for associating with a conspiracy theorist and over her "commercialization and abuse of the title 'princess'".[49]
Bibliography
- Underveis : et portrett av prinsesse Märtha Louise, 2001, ISBN 9788252543711.
- Fra hjerte til hjerte ("From Heart to Heart"), 2002 in collaboration with husband ISBN 9788252543711.
- Why Kings And Queens Don't Wear Crowns, 2005 in collaboration with Svein Nyhus (Illustrator), ISBN 9781575340388.
- Eventyr fra jordens hjerte: Rodinia, 2007 (as editor) in collaboration with Kirsti Birkeland and Kristin Lyhmann (Editors), ISBN 9788292904008.
- Englenes hemmeligheter: Deres natur, språk og hvordan du åpner opp for dem, 2012 in collaboration with Elisabeth Nordeng, ISBN 9788202383152.
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles and styles
- 1971–2002: Her Royal Highness Princess Märtha Louise of Norway
- 2002–present: Her Highness Princess Märtha Louise of Norway[32]
On 8 November 2022, Märtha Louise announced that she will no longer have royal duties within the Norwegian royal house but will retain the title of
Honours
National
- Norway: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Saint Olav
- Royal Family Decoration of King Olav V of Norway
- Royal Family Decoration of King Harald V of Norway
- Norway: Recipient of the Medal of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of King Haakon VII
- Norway: Recipient of the King Olav V Silver Jubilee Medal
- Norway: Recipient of the King Olav V Commemorative Medal
- Norway: Recipient of the Medal of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of King Olav V
- Norway: Recipient of the Royal House Centennial Medal
- Norway: Recipient of the King Harald V Silver Jubilee Medal
Foreign
- Denmark: Knight of the Order of the Elephant
- Order of the White Rose
- Iceland: Grand Cross of the Order of the Falcon[50]
- Jordan: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Star of Jordan
- Netherlands: Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown[notes 1]
- Luxembourg: Grand Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau
- Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry
- Spain: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit[51]
- Royal Order of the Polar Star
- Sweden: Recipient of the 50th Birthday Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf
- Sweden: Recipient of the 70th Birthday Medal of King Carl XVI Gustaf
Notes
- ^ Not a state decoration but a personal gift from Queen Beatrix.
References
- ^ "RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: Descendants of Queen Victoria".
- ^ Vanderhoof, Erin. "Gwyneth Paltrow, a Clairvoyant Princess, and the Latest Royal Controversy". Vanity Fair.
- ^ "Norway's Princess of the Paranormal under fire". thelocal.no. 16 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Märtha Louises bassengbråk". Dagbladet.
Prinsesse Märtha Louise er i dag ikke en del av kongehuset. Hun frasa seg privilegier, tittelen kongelig høyhet og apanasjen i 2002 for å leve av egen inntekt. Siden 2007 har hun omsatt for godt over ti millioner kroner på engleskolen og andre opptredener. [Märtha Louise is not a part of the royal house. She relinquished her privileges, the title of royal highness and the appanage in 2002 in order to live on her own income]
- ^ "Privat prinsesse". NRK.
- ^ "Märthas engleskole solgte "kontakt med de døde"". vg.no.
- ^ a b c "Norway princess quits royal duties for alternative medicine". BBC. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
Verrett [has been] described as 'a charlatan', a conman and a conspiracy theorist
- ^ "Norwegians resist spell of Martha Louise's fiancé Durek Verrett". The Times. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
He is also a conspiracy theorist with unusual views on everything from cancer to Covid
- ^ "Princess' shaman issues apology". newsinenglish.no.
- ^ "Einzelhaft & Zwangsjacke: Ihr Durek berichtet über traumatische Gefängniszeit". Bunte. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ "Hegnar: Cappelen Damm forsto at Durek Verretts bok er søppel". finansavisen.no. 25 October 2019.
- ^ "Vantrú: The sham of the shaman". vantru.is.
- ^ "Princess stirs up critics again". newsinenglish.no.
- ^ a b Hirsti, Kristine (13 May 2019). "Kritiserer 'The Princess and The Shaman': – Bruker rått det at hun er kongelig". NRK.
- ^ Svendsen, Maiken (7 August 2019). "Märtha Louise slutter å bruke prinsessetittelen i kommersiell sammenheng". NRK.
- ^ a b Slow, Oliver (8 November 2022). "Norway princess quits royal duties for alternative medicine". BBC News. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ a b c "La princesa renuncia al título". Hola.com. Hola SA. Archived from the original on 23 January 2002. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
- ^ "Princess claims clairvoyant powers, aims to share them". Aftenposten. 24 July 2007. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007.
- ^ Norway princess 'talks to angels', BBC News, 25 July 2007. Retrieved 25 July 2007
- ^ OCLC 910964138.
- ^ BT Leder (13 August 2007): Dropp prinsessetittelen, Märtha (in Norwegian) Bergens Tidende. Retrieved 27 July 2013
- ^ Nina Berglund/NTB (25 July 2007). "Princess draws more flak". Aftenposten. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007.
- ^ Princess chastises media Archived 21 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Rolleiv Solholm, norwaypost.no, 12 August 2007.
- ^ Princess Martha Louise takes the witness stand Archived 14 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine Aftenposten, 2 October 2007.
- ^ Royal House web page on the Princess' fund Retrieved 6 November 2007
- ^ "Norway's Princess of the Paranormal under fire". Retrieved 21 September 2014.
- ^ "'Iconic royal wedding gowns". Harpers Bazaar.
- ^ born 1972 as Ari Mikael Bjørshol; he later took his grandmother's name.
- Se og Hør. Retrieved 27 July 2013
- ^ "Royal Oops! Norway's Princess Martha Louise Forgets to Turn off Oven: 'I Am Glad the House Didn't Burn Down'". People. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
- ^ "Childrenlandslaget". Norges Rytterforbund. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Her Highness Princess Märtha Louise". The Royal Court. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- ^ "Prinsesse Märtha Louise og Ari Behn har bestemt seg for å gå fra hverandre [Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn decided to go apart]". The Royal Court. Retrieved 5 August 2016. (in Norwegian)
- ^ Robinson, Matthew (26 December 2019). "Ari Behn, ex-husband of Norwegian princess, takes his own life - World". The Times. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "Norway's Princess Martha Louise reveals relationship with American shaman". The Star (Malaysia). 22 May 2019.
Princess Martha Louise of Norway opened up about her romantic partner, an American shaman, last May 13. The daughter of Norway's King Harald V and Queen Sonja introduced her boyfriend Shaman Durek (real name: Durek Verrett) with portraits of them in a lengthy Instagram post last week
- ^ "Princess Martha Louise of Norway Shares First Photos with Her New American Boyfriend". People. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ "Royal Shock: Divorced Princess reveals new boyfriend on Instagram". Hello. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ Krøger, Cathrine (15 October 2019). "Gal manns tale". Dagbladet.no.
- ^ Husøy, May Synnøve Rogne Eirik. "Märthas sjaman-kjæreste sier han kan snu atomer – fysikkprofessor kaller det "sludder"". Aftenposten.
- ^ a b Klausen, Aslaug Olette. "Kurerer kreft om den syke har sterk nok vilje til å helbrede seg selv". Fri tanke – nettavis for livssyn og livssynspolitikk.
- ^ "Hegnar: Cappelen Damm forsto at Durek Verretts bok er søppel". finansavisen.no. 25 October 2019.
- ^ "Vantrú: The sham of the shaman". vantru.is.
- ^ Nikolaisen, Rudi (21 May 2019). "Sjaman-svada fra Märtha og Durek". itromso.no.
- ^ Fjeld, Johannes (13 May 2019). "Fillerister "sjaman"-foredrag". Dagbladet.no.
- ^ Stephansen, Erik (17 October 2019). "Nå er det blitt så pinlig at hele kongeriket rødmer". Nettavisen.
- ^ "Princess Martha Louise: Norway's princess sets date to wed shaman". BBC News. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ Cathrine Gonsholt Ighanian, Marthe Stoksvik, Camilla Norvik and Jørn Pettersen (7 June 2022). "Prinsesse Märtha Louise og Durek Verrett er forlovet" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Norwegian princess to wed Hollywood 'shaman' Durek Verrett". The Guardian. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Selvrettferdig og virkelighetsfjernt fra Märtha Louise". iTromsø. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ Iceland
- ^ Boletín Oficial del Estado (PDF), 3 June 2006