The 51-year-old princess’ relationship with Durek Verrett, a Hollywood spiritual guru, made waves in Norway after the “sixth generation shaman” suggested in his book Spirit Hacking that cancer was a choice. He also sells a medal on his website labeled “Spirit Optimizer”, which he claims helped him overcome Covid-19. A poll in September found that 17% of Norwegians now have a lower opinion of the generally popular royal family, with almost all citing the princess and the shaman as the reason. “The princess … is stepping down from the role of royal patron … and will not represent the royal house at this time,” the palace said in a statement. However, “in accordance with the king’s wishes, the princess will retain her title.” The palace said that once the princess and Verrett were married, she would become a member of the royal family, but would not hold a title or represent the monarchy. Märtha Louise, who claims to be able to speak with angels, lost the honorary title of ‘Her Royal Highness’ in 2002 when she chose to work as a clairvoyant. In 2019, the divorced mother of three agreed not to use her title as a princess in her commercial endeavors. The couple have agreed to refrain from any association with the royal family on their social media channels, media productions and commercial activities. “This is intended to draw a dividing line that more clearly separates commercial activity from the Norwegian royal house,” the palace said. He added that the royal family had “great confidence in the Norwegian health service and the Norwegian health authorities”, stressing the importance of “established medical knowledge and scientific research”. In the same statement, Märtha Louise said she was “aware of the importance of research-based knowledge”. “I also believe, however, that there are elements of a good life and a healthy physical and mental health that may not be so easy to summarize in a research report.” He said that “spirituality, intimacy with other people and animals, yoga and meditation” could be important supplements, as could “a warm hand, an acupuncture needle, a crystal.” She said she felt it was important to “distinguish myself as a private person on the one hand and as a member of the royal family on the other” and hoped that her personal views would be considered her own “without others having to answer for them”.
