Princess Märtha Louise and her fiancé, shaman Durek Verrett, were criticized in Norway for promoting medical treatments without scientific efficacy.
Princess Märtha Louise of Norway has given up her royal duties to focus on the alternative medicine business with her fiancé Durek Verrett as the shaman.
Märtha Louise will retain her royal title, but is giving up her official duties to “create a clearer separation” between her private life and her duties as a member of the Norwegian royal family.
Her fiancé supported medical practices without scientific evidence of effectiveness, including suggesting that cancer is “the patient’s choice.”
The American also claims to have influenced actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
The country’s royal family said in a statement that the princess “relinquished her protective role” as they sought to make a clearer distinction between Verrett’s activities and the Norwegian Royal Household. She added that King Harald V has decided to keep his title.
“He performed his duties with love, care and deep devotion,” the statement said.
Despite the announcement, King described Harald Verrett as “a good guy and fun company”.
“He has a lot of humor and we laugh a lot even in this difficult time. I think we and he understood better what it was about and agreed that we disagreed,” King Harald told reporters in the country.
The princess said she is “aware of the importance of scientific research-based knowledge” but believes alternative medicine can be “an important complement to assisting traditional medical procedures.”
He added that it’s important to “differentiate myself, on the one hand, as a private person, and on the other, as a member of the royal family.”
The 51-year-old princess has been causing controversy in Norway for decades for her involvement in alternative medical treatments, including founding a school aimed at helping people “get in touch with their angels.”
He was accused of using the royal title for personal gain.
He married Norwegian writer and artist Ari Behn in 2002 – the couple had three daughters. They divorced in 2017, and Behn, who claims to suffer from depression, committed suicide on Christmas 2019.
In June he got engaged to Princess Verrett. He announced the relationship in an Instagram post in 2019.
“For those who need to criticize: it’s very quiet right now. It’s not up to you to choose for me or judge me. Shaman Durek is just a man I love to spend time with and completes me,” she wrote. on the air. .
The couple received harsh criticism among many in Norway, and Verrett has been described as “a charlatan”, a swindler and a conspiracy theorist.
Former Prime Minister Erna Solberg described the American’s views as “very strange” and “unfounded”, adding that her ideas support conspiracy theories.
African-American Durek, who describes himself as a “6th generation shaman”, claimed to have risen from the dead and predicted the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States two years before they took place.
He said the criticisms he faced stemmed from racism and that when he moved to Norway “he was never the target of so much racism”. He also compared himself to Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison, claiming they were “geniuses” and “misunderstood”.
On her website, she describes herself as “a visionary for the “Present Age” who “solves the mystery of spirituality.” She claims her work has influenced actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Nina Dobrev.
A survey published in September revealed that only 13% of Norwegians think Princess Märtha Louise should represent the country’s royal family on official functions.
One royal biographer told local media: “I think it’s about the occult phenomenon that the princess associates as a person.”
– This text was published in: https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-63562382
source: Noticias
