'Royal Rebels' Recap: Where Are Princess Martha And Durek Now?

When you belong to a royal family and you decide to marry a man who once claimed that he knew about the 9/11 attacks before they happened, then obviously people are going to raise eyebrows and be a little suspicious about him. Royal Rebels: An Unlikely Love Story tells the tale of how Norwegian Princess Martha Louise and Shaman Durek, aka Durek Verrett, fell in love with each other, and how they decided to enter into a matrimonial alliance. When Princess Martha met Durek for the very first time, she felt that he was gay, but later she found out he was attracted to her. Durek said in the documentary that he was a soul sexual, and a beautiful soul allured him more than anything else in his life. Their relationship had its ups and downs, especially as Durek came under intense media scrutiny and some of his actions raised doubts about his true intentions behind marrying the princess. I am not one to judge somebody or be critical about their actions, but I also did feel that there was an aspect of his personality that was quite dubious. There were things he spoke about that sounded absolutely absurd, and it was not easy for the media to overlook it. If you tell anybody that Covid-19 could be defeated by using a medallion (that Durek referred to as a light bringer), then obviously people will judge you and find you extremely unscientific. That said, let’s take a look at the events that, in a way, coerced Princess Martha Louise to relinquish her royal duties and also shed some light on why, despite his best intentions, Durek faced significant criticism.

What happened to Princess Martha Louise’s first husband? 

Princess Martha married Ari Behn on 24th May 2002, and she felt that she had finally found the person who understood her better than anybody else. She felt liberated when she was with him, as Ari too was a very expressive man. Be it his fashion statement or his entire demeanor, the man never held himself back from being his true self. Ari Behn, just like Durek, was put under media scrutiny, and for the next 16 years he had no option but to endure everything he was put through. Things went downhill for Ari and Martha over a period of time, and in 2017 they decided to file for divorce. Ari, apart from having issues with media scrutiny and how the tabloids criticized him, was also suffering from a lot of mental health issues. There were times he just couldn’t cope with reality, and everything combined started taking a toll on the marriage. Ari and Martha had three beautiful daughters together: Maud, Leah, and Emma. On 25th December 2019, the people of Norway were shocked when they got to hear that Ari had taken his own life. The girls and even Martha went through a very hard phase in their lives, and it took them some time to get over the grief and sense of loss. The documentary does not delve deep into what exactly Ari was going through during his last days, but we did get to know that he had his fair share of troubles, and there came a time when he just gave up. I have to say here that when a person is struggling with depression or going through any other form of mental illness, they do feel trapped and hopeless. At times you need the support of your loved ones, as you are incapable of dealing with your emotions. I believe if Ari would have had people around him, then things would have turned out different for him.

Why was Shaman Durek labeled a con man? 

Martha met Durek through a common friend named Milana Snow, who was also a wellness entrepreneur, just like Durek. It is my personal opinion that your credibility as a celebrity or even as a common man is reduced to a large extent when you start talking as if you are a clairvoyant and you have the ability to predict the future. I am not claiming that whatever Durek said was a big lie, but it is a little difficult to believe that somebody could actually have magical healing powers. Durek Verrett was convicted of arson around 1991, and he spent a year in jail for it. In an interview, he stated (though later he denied saying any such thing) that he had crossed boundaries with one of his patients. Also, a man named Joakim Bostrom accused Durek of molesting him, and in his testimony, he stated that he was touched inappropriately during one of the sessions conducted by Durek. These accusations can still be defended against to some extent, but how can one possibly defend claims like knowing about the 9/11 attacks or having the power to heal people suffering from terminal illnesses like cancer through psychic abilities?

The kind of absurd claims that man has made in his book Spirit Hacking are just beyond the comprehension of any prudent man. That’s why I said at the beginning of this recap that though I am nobody to judge Durek Verrett, any reasonable man would have questioned his actions and labeled him a con man. Also, the way he craved media attention and the swanky lifestyle he wanted to lead made it look like he loved being in the spotlight. People felt that that was one of the reasons he was getting married to the Norwegian princess. Another incident after which people suspected him of being involved in some sort of foul play was when he stated that he had worked at Shamir Medical Center in Israel. But there were no records found of his employment, and nobody knew what to make of it. If you ask my personal opinion, I found it really hilarious when he said that he had met Martha in his past life and they were destined to be together. He stated that through his psychic abilities he was transported to Egypt, where he saw that he was the ruler and Martha was his queen. So whether he is a con man or not, I really don’t know, but there are things about Durek Verrett that just don’t add up. 

Why did Princess Matha relinquish her royal duties? 

It took some time for Queen Sonja and King Harald, Princess Martha’s parents, to accept Durek in their lives, but eventually they were able to do so. They made a public statement stating that they did not appreciate the slanderous remarks made against their future son-in-law as an act of showing their love and appreciation towards their daughter’s partner. Durek Verrett and Princess Martha got married on 31st August 2024, at a beautiful place named Gieranger. Before marriage, Princess Martha had relinquished her official duties, as she didn’t want the people to scrutinize every action of hers and to be held accountable for whatever she did. She also didn’t want her family to suffer for the choices she made, which was why her wedding was sponsored by Hello Magazine and not paid for by taxpayer money.

Where Are Martha And Durek Now?

Martha still serves as the chair of the board of the Princess Martha Louise fund, and she lives with her family in Lommedalen. She and Durek both were quite involved in the filming of the Netflix documentary, and they both are pretty active on social media, where they often express their feelings for each other and keep giving updates about their life and work. 

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