Shaman Durek Verrett has kidney transplant as king fights serious blood infection nearby

Shaman Durek Verrett has undergone a kidney transplant in the same hospital where his father-in-law, King Harald V, is fighting a serious blood infection.

The 51-year-old married into Norway’s royal family in August 2024 when he wed the king’s eldest daughter Princess Märtha Louise.

The American-born healer’s surgery on Wednesday at the Oslo University Hospital, also known as the National Hospital, was described as “successful” by Princess Märtha Louise’s manager, Carina Scheele Carlsen.

The shaman had been suffering kidney disease for many years and had been undergoing regular dialysis treatments both in Norway and in Beverly Hills.

In a statement, Princess Märtha Louise said the family feels “an enormous gratitude that someone is willing to be a donor”.

“It is difficult to put into words what such a gift means. The new kidney has given Durek a second chance, and we will never take that for granted,” she said.

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The shaman said: “The way the doctors and nurses have cared for me, both as a patient and as a person, has deeply touched me. They have been my ‘little angels’ through a very challenging time.”

He made special mention of the medical team in Norway, praising their “warmth, compassion and humanity”.

It is the second time Shaman Durek has received a kidney transplant.

He first had a transplant when he was younger, donated by his sister.

Durek spoke about his health battles in the 2025 Netflix documentary Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story.

“The blood vessels in my kidneys exploded,” he said.

“I had kidney failure, and my whole body started shutting down. I was dying. I went to the other side and I saw my whole life through my childhood.”

That health scare, which brought him close to death, inspired him to be a shaman instead of ignoring his “powers”, which his father had urged him to repress.

“When I died in the hospital, it became clear – I have to be the person I was born to be, and that’s when I came back. After that, my sister gave me a kidney, and it changed my life.

“And I decided, no more working for anything other than being Shaman Durek.”

Märtha Louise described her husband’s wait for a new kidney as “a prison sentence” and said patients usually last on dialysis for “five to 10 years, until you die”.

She told the film: “I’ve tested to give my kidney, but I wasn’t a match, so that was really, really sad, and so we have to get a living donor. I just pray we get one in time.”

The couple’s relationship has been controversial, and they defied their critics by appearing in the film which followed the princess and her then-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.

Märtha Louise and Shaman Verrett were accused of exploiting their royal connections by taking part in the film, renewing calls for the princess to be stripped of her titles.

The Royal House of Norway issued a scathing statement claiming the documentary was as “a breach of the agreement” made following the princess’ royal exit in 2022 when she stopped using her royal titles in any business ventures.

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

Despite the headlines, Princess Märtha Louise and Shaman Durek are close with the king and queen, and crown prince family, and regularly join the royals for private events.

Recently, the princess − who remains fourth-in-line to the throne − confirmed plans to star in a new reality television show alongside Shaman Durek. They are also due to appear at a wellness retreat in the UK next month where fans can meet them for $250 in a special “intimate, in-person LoveShop”.

Royal family hold bedside vigil for king

King Harald remains at the National Hospital where he is receiving treatment for a serious blood disorder and infection.

The 89-year-old monarch was admitted on August 17 and diagnosed with hemolytic anaemia, a disorder in which red blood cells are destroyed faster than they can be made. 

Nearly a week later his condition “deteriorated” the palace said, and he was diagnosed with a bacterial infection in his blood. In its latest update, the Royal House said the king was stable and responding to treatment.

King Harald has ruled Norway for 35 years and came onto the throne when his father King Olav died on January 17, 1991.

His wife Queen Sonja, 89, has been seen visiting the hospital nearly every day along with Norway’s heir Crown Prince Haakon, who is acting as regent while his father is unable to perform his duties as head of state.

Haakon’s wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit has also been to see her father-in-law along with their two children Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus.

In June, Crown Princess Mette-Marit had a lung transplant eight years after she was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, which causes scarring in the lungs and makes breathing difficult.

The surgery also took place at the National Hospital and Mette-Marit was discharged a month later.

Mette-Marit, who turned 53 last week, is now recovering at the family’s private estate, Skaugum, which doctors say will likely take at least a year. The crown princess is not expected to carry out any public-facing duties for some time.

On Tuesday, she and Crown Prince Haakon shared previously unseen photos from their 2001 honeymoon to Long Island in celebration of their 25th wedding anniversary.

A new portrait of the crown prince couple, taken at their home, was also shared by the Royal House.

“25 years of love, family and a life together,” the caption read.

Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit planned to mark their silver wedding anniversary with countrywide celebrations this month, coinciding with the day they married on August 25, 2001, but the events were postponed because of the princess’ health.