Princess Martha Louise
Introduction
About
BIOGRAPHY OF PRINCESS MÄRTHA LOUISE
OF NORWAY
Princess Märtha Louise of Norway was born on 22 September 1971 at the National Hospital (now Oslo University Hospital) in Oslo. She is the eldest child of King Harald V of Norway and Queen Sonja (née Sonja Haraldsen) and a member of the House of Glücksburg. Although born into the Norwegian royal family, Märtha Louise does not carry out official royal duties today and is not a member of the Norwegian Royal House in the constitutional sense. Over the course of her life, she has carved out an unconventional public identity, blending royal heritage with interests in alternative spirituality, therapy, and personal entrepreneurship—choices that have made her one of the most debated figures in modern Norwegian royal history.
Early Life and Family Background
At the time of her birth, Märtha Louise had no right of succession to the Norwegian throne, as the constitution then limited inheritance to male heirs. She was named Märtha Louise after her paternal grandmother, Crown Princess Märtha of Norway, and her great-great-grandmother Princess Louise of Sweden. She was baptized later in 1971, with a notable group of godparents that included her grandfather King Olav V of Norway, Princess Margaretha of Sweden, and other close family members and friends of the royal household. In 1973, her younger brother, Prince Haakon Magnus, was born. From early childhood, Märtha Louise grew up in a highly visible environment, shaped by royal protocol but also by her parents’ desire to provide their children with as normal an upbringing as possible. Despite this effort, the expectations and scrutiny attached to royal life inevitably influenced her development.
A major constitutional change in 1990 altered Märtha Louise’s formal position in the monarchy. Norway adopted full cognatic primogeniture for those born after 1990, meaning the eldest child would inherit the throne regardless of gender. For those born earlier, including Märtha Louise, succession rights were partially extended: she was included in the line of succession, but placed behind her younger brother. When her brother later had two children—Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus Märtha Louise became fourth in line to the Norwegian throne, a position she retains today.
Education and Professional Training
Märtha Louise pursued a diverse educational path that reflected both conventional and alternative interests. She trained as a physiotherapist, completing her education in Oslo and undertaking an internship in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Although she became a certified physiotherapist, she never practiced extensively in that field. Alongside her formal medical training, Märtha Louise explored complementary and holistic approaches to health and well-being. She trained as a Rosen therapist a form of body therapy focused on emotional awareness—and studied at an academy for holistic medicine. These experiences would later shape her public identity and professional ventures, particularly her involvement in alternative therapy and spiritual practices.
Transition Away from Official Royal Role
A defining moment in Märtha Louise’s life occurred on 1 January 2002, when she formally established her own business. This step was taken to give her greater freedom to pursue professional activities independently of her constitutional role as a princess. From that point onward, she began paying income tax like any private citizen. Following consultations between Märtha Louise and King Harald V, a royal edict was issued removing her style of “Royal Highness.” While she is sometimes informally referred to as “Highness” abroad, this title has no legal standing in Norway. Importantly, she retained her royal title as Princess and her place in the line of succession, but ceased to function as a working royal. This decision marked a clear boundary between the Norwegian monarchy and her personal, commercial activities.
Creative and Cultural Work
In the early 2000s, Märtha Louise became involved in cultural and artistic projects, particularly those connected to storytelling and performance. She established a commercial entertainment business and gave public and televised performances, often reciting traditional folk tales and singing alongside well-known Norwegian choirs. In December 2003, she appeared as a solo performer in the Oslo Gospel Choir’s Christmas concert, an event that attracted significant public attention. In 2004, she published her first book, Why Kings and Queens Don’t Wear Crowns, a children’s story centered on Norway’s first royal family. The book reflected her interest in making history and monarchy accessible to younger audiences, while also emphasizing values such as humility and humanity behind royal symbolism.
Marriage to Ari Behn and Family Life
In 2002, Märtha Louise married the writer and visual artist Ari Behn. The marriage brought together two prominent but very different public figures, and the couple quickly became fixtures in Norwegian cultural life. They had three daughters together: Maud Angelica, Leah Isadora, and Emma Tallulah. During their marriage, Märtha Louise and Behn lived both in Norway and abroad. In October 2004, following several postponements due to family births and King Harald’s illness, the couple moved to New York City. This period allowed them a degree of distance from Norwegian media scrutiny, while also exposing them to a broader international cultural environment. The marriage, however, faced increasing strain over time. In 2016, the couple announced their separation, and their divorce was finalized in 2017. Despite the separation, they emphasized their shared commitment to co-parenting their daughters. Behn’s death in 2019 deeply affected Märtha Louise and her family, marking a period of intense personal grief that she later addressed publicly.
Spirituality and Alternative Therapy
One of the most controversial aspects of Märtha Louise’s life has been her public embrace of alternative spirituality. She has described herself as clairvoyant and has claimed abilities such as communicating with angels, animals, and the deceased. These beliefs became the foundation of her professional work outside the monarchy. From 2007 to 2018, Märtha Louise ran an alternative therapy center popularly known in Norway as the “angel school” (engleskolen). The center focused on spiritual development, clairvoyance, and angel communication, attracting both supporters and critics. While some participants viewed the school as a space for personal growth, critics accused Märtha Louise of exploiting her royal status to promote unscientific and commercially motivated practices.
Relationship with Durek Verrett
In May 2019, Märtha Louise publicly announced her romantic relationship with Durek Verrett, an American self-described shaman and alternative spiritual teacher. The relationship also included professional collaboration, further intensifying public debate. Verrett has been described by critics and sections of the Norwegian media as a conspiracy theorist and a conman, and his past—including time served in prison has been widely reported. The relationship placed Märtha Louise under renewed scrutiny and reignited discussions about the appropriateness of her retaining a royal title and place in the line of succession while engaging in controversial spiritual and commercial activities. Despite this, Märtha Louise has consistently defended her right to live according to her personal beliefs and values. She later married Verrett, solidifying a partnership that remains highly polarizing in Norway.
Public Criticism and Media Relations
Throughout her adult life, Märtha Louise has faced sustained criticism within Norway. Many critics argue that her spiritual claims undermine the credibility of the monarchy, while others accuse her of exploiting her constitutional role for personal gain. These controversies have earned her satirical nicknames in Norwegian media, most notably “prinsesse Mertakk av Pose og Sekk”—loosely translated as “Princess Plenty More of Have-It-All.” Calls for her to relinquish her royal title and succession rights have surfaced repeatedly, particularly during periods of heightened controversy. Märtha Louise has responded by emphasizing her independence from official royal duties and asserting her freedom as a private individual. Her relationship with the Norwegian media has become increasingly strained over time. Feeling misrepresented and unfairly targeted, Märtha Louise announced a total boycott of Norwegian media in 2024, a move that underscored the depth of her antagonism toward press coverage of her life.
Legacy and Contemporary Significance
Princess Märtha Louise occupies a unique position in modern Norwegian history. As a royal who stepped away from official duties yet retained her title and succession rights, she embodies the tensions between tradition and individual autonomy within constitutional monarchies. Her life reflects broader cultural debates about spirituality, commercial freedom, and the boundaries of royal responsibility. Whether viewed as a symbol of personal authenticity or as a controversial figure whose actions challenge public trust in the monarchy, Märtha Louise has undeniably reshaped perceptions of what it means to be a royal in the 21st century. Her story continues to provoke discussion about identity, belief, and the evolving role of monarchy in a modern democratic society.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_M%C3%A4rtha_Louise_of_Norway
