Palace slams princess and healer husband for 'breach of agreement' made with king as new documentary milks royal connections

A war of words between the Royal House of Norway and the King's daughter has erupted following the release of a controversial documentary that's been slammed as "a breach of the agreement" made in the wake of her royal exit three years ago.

The situation bears a striking resemblance to the British royal family and its two former stars Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who left their working duties to pursue financial freedom in the US.

But this time, it's Norway's Princess Märtha Louise and her American husband Shaman Durek Verrett in the headlines after their tell-all documentary with Netflix was released overnight, prompting a hasty apology from the couple who say they "recognise the seriousness of this situation".

Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story followed the princess and her fiancé in the lead up to their three-day wedding, from their first meeting in 2018 to their engagement and the scandals that have followed them every step of the way.

Princess Märtha Louise is the eldest daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja. Her brother is Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to the throne.

Princess Märtha Louise is currently fourth in the line of succession.

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Her 21-year-old niece Princess Ingrid Alexandra, and heir to the throne after her father, is currently living in Australia and doing a three-year bachelor degree at the University of Sydney, which she began in late August.

In the opening few scenes of the 1.40 minute documentary, Märtha Louise is introduced as a "Princess of Norway" and her royal connections are explored through archival footage of her life along with shots filmed outside the Royal Palace in Oslo.

Shaman Durek says it took him eight months to meet his future in-laws, the King and Queen, expressing shock at their reaction to his outfit of cowboy boots and a kimono instead of a suit during their first face-to-face interaction.

Märtha Louise admits early on that her mother was "a bit worried" about her choice in boyfriend because he was "terribly out of the box".

While the King and Queen are not named until later in the documentary by a royal expert and not the loved-up couple, much of the documentary rides on Märtha Louise's royal connections and Shaman Durek preparing to marry the King's daughter.

"I would like a royal wedding," he says. "Because I'm going to be a royal."

'A breach of the agreement with the Royal House'

Immediately after the film was made available on Netflix on Tuesday, the Royal House of Norway responded.

"Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett's participation in the production is a breach of the agreement with the Royal House," Head of Communications Guri Varpe at the Royal Court said in a statement to Norwegian news outlet TV 2.

"As we have communicated previously, the Royal House did not wish to contribute to this production.

"All people should have the right to tell their story. This also applies to Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett.

"At the same time, the Royal House wants a clearer distinction between the activities of Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett, and the Royal House. This will be the topic of the conversations we will have in the future."

In 2022, Märtha Louise agreed to stop using her 'princess' title for her commercial endeavours after a long-running disagreement with the royal family, after previously stating in 2019 that the word "princess" would not be used by her for business reasons.

Part of the agreement also stated she and Durek were not to use their royal connections in any of their business activities.

She no longer carries out official engagements representing the King, something Märtha Louise described as "sad" in the documentary.

However, one royal commentator in Norway noted the word "princess" was used at least 34 times, appearing every three minutes or so. The word "royal" appears at least 44 times.

'We recognise the seriousness of this situation'

In response to the palace's statement, Princess Märtha Louise and Shaman Durek issued an apology.

"It is important to clarify that neither Märtha Louise nor Durek Verrett are executive producers of the documentary Rebel Royals," the couple's said via Märtha Louise's manager, Carina Scheele Carlsen.

"The final editing and direction was entirely in the hands of director Rebecca Chaiklin, together with Netflix. The film reflects Rebecca's story, told from her perspective.

"We recognise the seriousness of this situation and the importance of maintaining the integrity of the agreement going forward.

"In retrospect, there are undoubtedly things we wish we had handled differently. Our focus now is to take responsibility and ensure that we move forward in a constructive manner.

"Because of this, we cannot answer the press' questions here, as even doing so could in itself be considered a breach of the agreement."

In response to how the documentary may affect the Norwegian royal family and its members, they said: "We both have a close and loving relationship with each member of the royal family.

"We care deeply about them, and it truly pains us if anything in this process has caused them pain or harm in any way.

"At the same time, we believe that everyone has the right to tell their own story – and that includes us."

As for the director, they said Chaiklin "chose her approach" which they said was "to share our love story".

"We are grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her and with Netflix to bring this story to life."

Netflix and Hello! magazine had exclusive rights of the couple's wedding in August last year.

Part of that agreement with the streaming giant was not to film the King and Queen, or any other members of the royal house, during the celebrations in Geiranger.

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Eyebrow-raising detail as Princess officially weds Shaman

But a preview clip shared last week showed Märtha Louise's brother Crown Prince Haakon talking to Shaman Durek at a pre-wedding party.

Following a complaint from the palace, the Crown Prince was edited out of the final documentary.

Calls to strip Märtha Louise of her 'princess' title

On Tuesday, Märtha Louise and Shaman Durek invited 100 guests to a private screening of the documentary in Oslo.

Public reaction in Norway has been mixed, with some expressing sympathy to Märtha Louise and Shaman Durek, particularly due to the vile abuse both have received – mainly from online trolls.

Others have wished the princess success with her new marriage after her first, to Ari Behn, ended in divorce in 2017. He later died by suicide on Christmas Eve in 2019.

However a large part of the population want Märtha Louise to be stripped of her princess title.

A survey done on behalf of TV 2 found a staggering 84.7 per cent want Märtha Louise to lose her princess title. Just 15.3 per cent think she should keep it.

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