Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett on Love, Scandal and Turning Their Royal Wedding Into a Netflix MustSee (Exclusive) Janine HenniSeptember 16, 2025 at 3:00 AM 0 Courtesy of Netflix Durek Verrett and Princess Martha Louise on their Aug.
- - Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett on Love, Scandal and Turning Their Royal Wedding Into a Netflix Must-See (Exclusive)
Janine HenniSeptember 16, 2025 at 3:00 AM
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Courtesy of Netflix
Durek Verrett and Princess Martha Louise on their Aug. 31, 2024 wedding day in "Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story" on Netflix -
Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett tell PEOPLE all about their royal wedding day and why they're sharing on Netflix now in Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story
King Harald's daughter married the Hollywood shaman on Aug. 31, 2024 in a three-day celebration in Norway
Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story premieres Sept. 16 and is helmed byTiger King director Rebecca Chaiklin
Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Durek Verrett are still riding a high from their royal wedding as they share their love story with their largest audience yet on Netflix.
Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story premiered on Netflix on Tuesday, Sept. 16, and the film, helmed by Emmy-nominated director Rebecca Chaiklin of Tiger King fame, followed the couple behind the scenes in the run-up to their royal wedding in Norway in August 2024.
Exclusively speaking to PEOPLE before the premiere, Princess Märtha Louise, 53, and Durek, 50, a Hollywood shaman to the stars, open up about why now was the right time to share their royal romance with the world through the documentary.
"I think for me and Märtha, it's really important because our lives hold so many different aspects of what people are dealing with when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community. When it comes to interracial relationships, when it comes to being a man who's marrying into her life, into her family," Durek tells PEOPLE.
"I think it's important for us to share a story of resilience, and a story that makes people walk away with the feeling of inspiration to live their truth as they are, unapologetically," he says. "And I think that's a very important aspect that we wanted to share with the world, especially in today's world. With everything that's happening, it really gives people a feeling of hope and a feeling of, 'Wow, I can live free and live to be my truth and know that I can be exactly as I am.' "
Courtesy of Netflix
Durek Verrett and Princess Martha Louise in "Rebel Royals."
Durek says in the documentary that he is bisexual and became the first Black man to marry into the European royal family when he wed Märtha. Princess Märtha Louise is the daughter of King Harald and Queen Sonja and is fourth in line to the Norwegian throne, though she relinquished her royal role in 2022 in order to more freely pursue her business interests.
Princess Märtha Louise tells PEOPLE that the couple filmed with Chaiklin for over three and a half years and that the director wanted to show "our love story authentically" in Rebel Royals, allowing her and Durek to "be ourselves."
HAKON MOSVOLD LARSEN/NTB/AFP via Getty
Durek Verrett and Princess Martha Louise (second row, left) pose for a photo at Princess Ingrid Alexandra's 18th birthday gala dinner in Oslo, Norway on June 17, 2022.
"I felt that Rebecca and Netflix would be a great opportunity. Netflix is such a really big powerhouse when it comes to creating really beautiful documentaries and films and TV shows that really span across so many countries. And I thought what a wonderful platform to be a part of, and a family to be a part of, when it comes to sharing our story of love and triumph and being able to stand in that space of adversity," Durek tells PEOPLE about the partner.
"Rebecca always does really beautiful, poignant storylines like Tiger King. I really love that. And I think having someone be able to translate that level of artistry into what we do as far as our lives are concerned, as far as being who we are as a couple and what we stand for and our views spiritually and ethically in the world, it would make a great combination to create something," he says.
Rebel Royals chronicles the scrutiny that Märtha Louise and Durek have weathered as a couple in the spotlight synonymous with royal life. Durek, a sixth-generation shaman to the stars (photos roll in the documentary of him with Gwyneth Paltrow, James Van Der Beek and Glen Powell), says in the film that the press doesn't like him and has unfairly portrayed him as a fraud because "they don't want a shaman who is Black and bisexual marrying their princess."
The documentary doesn't shy from showing the hard times, including Durek's kidney transplant and delicate health today to the suicide of Märtha Louise's ex-husband, Ari Behn, on Christmas Day in 2019. (Märtha Louise and Ari welcomed daughters, Maud, 22, Leah, 20, and Emma, 16, during their marriage, and Durek tells PEOPLE he is the girls' doting "bonus dad.")
CORNELIUS POPPE/NTB/AFP via Getty
Maud Behn, Emma Behn and Leah Behn at Hotel Union for the wedding of their mother, Princess Martha Louise, and Durek Verrett on Aug. 31, 2024.
On how scrutiny has made them stronger, Princess Märtha Louise tells PEOPLE, "I think that I tried to warn Durek about what it would be like, and I don't think anybody can ask them or understand it before they're actually in it."
"And being in that kind of scrutiny, it is a challenge, but I look at life as a way of growth and whatever is thrown at us is something we can evolve through and learn from, and so it has absolutely made us both stronger. I've had this adversity from when I was a teenager, so I knew more what was coming than what Durek did, but we have become stronger and also more focused on actually speaking our truth and standing up for who we truly are in the process," she says.
Courtesy of Netflix
Princess Martha Louise and Durek Verrett in "Rebel Royals."
Adds Durek, "For me, it was about being able to understand what exactly was happening, because when you're in this process of having that much tornado and whirlwind of media and so forth, it kind of throws you off for a moment, and you have to kind of become more mature. You have to take guidance, of course, from my wife, who's already been in that storm, and learn the process of how to be resilient."
"At first, it can be a bit challenging, but it has fortified me to be more about focusing on what we stand for and focusing on what our beliefs are spiritually and how we show up for people and what we bring to the community more so than what people say… So I am actually appreciative of that experience because it's helped me to grow in ways that I would've never been able to grow, and also really dig even deeper with the community of what we stand for and our purpose of standing up for women rights and the LGBTQ+ community and people of color, Indigenous people, and really honoring our love as a foundation for holding a voice that lets people know that the time is now to no longer hide and be afraid of what people have to say and live out loud," he says.
"There's always somebody who doesn't agree with you, but there's also a lot of people who do and support us and are there for us. And so you see the noise a lot, but there's also a lot of people who support us," adds Märtha Louise. "And with the Norwegian press, I find it's also a bit out of tune with people because when we walk down the street, everybody's coming up to us, greeting us, and it's very positive. So it doesn't really show from what the press is writing, but the support is also there, and we have to remember that when we meet."
Courtesy of Netflix
Durek Verrett and Princess Martha Louise in "Rebel Royals."
In Rebel Royals, Durek cites Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey as a turning point at which King Harold acknowledged the racism he faced in the press and online after coupling up with Märtha Louise.
Reflecting on that time, Durek says, "One of the challenging things that happens is when you go into any situation where people are used to a certain way of seeing things. It really upsets people. And there is racism, but I don't live in the mentality of being a victim to that racism because I know that it exists. And for me, it was about bringing that attention to the family. And not everyone is going to get it right away because of the conditioning that they have and what they are exposed to. And so for me, it was about really being able to support that information and really stand up and say, 'Hey, there is a problem here. We need to deal with it, and let's bring it into a place of love and connection and family.' And I think that's really important when it comes to having that support and having that type of connection."
Courtesy of Netflix
Princess Martha Louise and Durek Verrett in "Rebel Royals."
"Norway is an amazing place. And there is challenges for people who are still holding on to old ideas and concepts and so forth. But as a whole, it has been an amazing experience," he says. "The most important thing is that we focus on love, and we focus on kindness, and we focus on generosity, and we focus on community."
Princess Märtha Louise and Durek brought the triumphant theme of love into all the key details of their Aug. 31, 2024 wedding day at Hotel Union in Geiranger, Norway, a celebration attended by their families and friends including her royal relatives.
In a relatable revelation, Märtha Louise tells PEOPLE that they were tinkering with the seating until the last minute, but that the wedding was magic.
Courtesy of Netflix
Durek Verrett and Princess Martha Louise in "Rebel Royals."
"The night before the wedding, there were people and we were like, 'Oh, this doesn't work anymore. We now see this as this, and we were changing the whole seating for the day after, and so things like that are a bit stressful,' " she says. "It's also amazing, because you know that you're preparing something that is wonderful for the people you love in your life, and we brought all the people we love in our lives together from Norway and America and all over the world, actually. It was just such an amazing experience to see how everybody got on and how it was just like this loving... What's it called?"
"Return to love," Durek interjects to finish her sentence. "It was like a love ball," he says.
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Princess Martha Louise and Durek Verrett on their Aug. 31, 2024 wedding day at Hotel Union in Geiranger, Norway.
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"I mean, it's hard to even say. It was so enchanting, and I love what my wife is saying, but for me it's always about having the support, like my family, my nieces, my sister, my younger brother. Having family around you, having close friends around you while you're in this process... Everyone just kind of took the place where they needed to be to show up for Märtha and I, so that we would have less stress," says the shaman. "Everything was just pure love."
Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story is now streaming on Netflix.
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