Norway's Princess Märtha Louise hoses down 'sham' marriage claim with three words

Norway's embattled Princess Märtha Louise has addressed claims her controversial marriage to shaman Durek Verrett is a sham.

The princess, who is fast losing popularity amongst Norwegians after a string of gaffes involving her husband, has taken to her Instagram account to address rumours their union is a so-called 'lavender marriage'.

A 'lavender marriage' is the name given to a union between two people in order to conceal that one or both of the parties is gay.

The US-born Verrett has previously said he considers himself bisexual.

Now the couple has addressed claims their marriage is a sham in a short video uploaded to both of their Instagram accounts.

The video starts with the two looking at the camera. Across the screen is written, "What's a lavender marriage?"

The two look confused before the princess clicks her fingers and the two reappear dressed in lavender clothing.

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Social media comments are then displayed on the screen, including the words "Lavender marriage" with a string of laughing emojis and "The real housewife of Norway and her lavender marriage".

They shake their heads before the words "Hmm we do like lavender but doesn't seem right" appears.

They then reappear dressed in colourful clothes before the words "Ordinary isn't our thing. We just love" flashes on the screen as the two embrace.

They uploaded the video with the comment, "Thought it was lavender? Plot twist. It's just love and legacy," along with the hashtag #rebelroyals.

The video is set to stir up controversy in her native Norway, where an opinion poll last week found that seven out of 10 Norwegians want her stripped of her royal title.

It follows a series of gaffes, including her recent decision to take part in a Netflix documentary about her relationship with Verrett.

Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story, followed the couple in the lead up to their three-day wedding in August 2024.

It covered their first meeting in 2018, their engagement and the scandals that have followed them.

Controversially, it also included claims that Princess Märtha Louise's parents "were just staring" at Verrett when they first met him.

Verrett also claimed the royal couple did not understand what racism was when he became a victim after news broke of their relationship.

The couple first met in 2018 through a mutual friend and confirmed their relationship the following year.

At the time, the princess was divorced from Ari Behn, who is the father of her three daughters.

He died by suicide on Christmas Day 2019.

The princess got into hot water with her family after she embarked on a speaking tour with Verrett, entitled 'The Princess and the Shaman'.

She later agreed to stop using the title of 'princess' in her work, but has at times been accused of breaching this agreement.

The Royal House of Norway issued a statement which said the documentary itself breached the agreement made in the wake of Princess Märtha Louise's royal exit three years ago.

The couple announced their engagement in June 2022 and the princess stepped down from official royal duties in November that year – something she has since said made her 'sad'.

In the documentary, Verrett described himself as bisexual while the princess said her three daughters initially thought he was gay, something he said helped them forge a relationship.

"I'm glad that she actually told them that I was her gay best friend in the beginning because they're very strong personalities, and let me tell you, those girls would've put me through the ringer," he said.

"The fact that I became the cool gay best friend, and I kind of eased in that way, and then when they got to realise that we were actually in love with each other, it kind of eased it a little bit."

She said by then, they "liked him already".

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