Princess Martha says she has ‘received the most criticism in Norway’ after leaving Royal Family

[ad_1]

Princess Martha Louise has said she’s ‘received the most criticism of anyone in Norway’ after leaving the Royal Family to pursue a new life with her fiance Durek Verrett.

The mother-of-three, 51, announced she was stepping down as a senior member of the Royal Family in November – just four months after she got engaged to her American boyfriend.

Earlier this week, the European royal appeared on the Swedish TV show Min Sanning – which translates as My Truth.

The show has been airing since 2012 and is currently hosted by journalist and broadcaster Anna Hedenmo. 

During their hour-long discussion, Princess Martha – who has retained her royal title – was quizzed over whether she would ever return to working in the institution. 

Princess Martha says she has ‘received the most criticism in Norway’ after leaving Royal Family

The European royal, 51, appeared on the Swedish TV show Min Sanning – which translates as My Truth over the weekend

Not ruling out the possibility of a comeback in the future, she said: ‘Yes, if I get the opportunity, I will say yes to it.’ 

However, Princess Martha suggested she had to take a step back as a result of Durek’s public image. 

Shortly after the couple’s engagement was announced, a Norweigan publishing house dropped Durek’s book ‘Spirit Hacking’ over pseudoscientific claims, including ‘children can get cancer from being unhappy’

Among his other claims, Durek says he once came back from the dead, recovering from a month-long coma, by letting his soul ‘burn’ and he has also spoken of having to undergo a kidney transplant from his sister as a child.

It is unclear why he needed the kidney or how he became wheelchair bound, as he has described. The illness which sent him into a coma is also undisclosed.

See also  More than 400 food items in nine states recalled over potential listeria contamination

Touching on the controversy that has surrounded the couple, Martha said in the latest interview: ‘I am probably the one in Norway who has received the most criticism of all, I think.’

Elsewhere in the television special, the mother touched on how her ex-husband Ari Behn – who took his own life in December 2019 – handled being in the spotlight.

Following their wedding in 2002, the royal said the father of her three children – who made a name for himself as an author -said he didn’t receive good reviews of his work.

During the hour-long interview, the Princess suggested she had to take a step back from royal life as a result of Durek's public image. The couple pictured in June 2022

During the hour-long interview, the Princess suggested she had to take a step back from royal life as a result of Durek’s public image. The couple pictured in June 2022

Martha Louise's father King Harald said she would keep her royal title. He said at the time: 'She is our daughter, and she will continue to be. So she is Princess Märtha Louise.'

Martha Louise’s father King Harald said she would keep her royal title. He said at the time: ‘She is our daughter, and she will continue to be. So she is Princess Märtha Louise.’

During her interview, Martha also touched on her first marriage to author Ari Behn - who took his own life in December 2019. The couple pictured together in June 2015

During her interview, Martha also touched on her first marriage to author Ari Behn – who took his own life in December 2019. The couple pictured together in June 2015

She added: ‘His mental health depended a lot on him getting criticism in the media. 

‘But I am not saying it was anyone’s fault. It is always how you handle criticism. The press took self-criticism after he died, that they were perhaps a little harsh towards him, and that he only received criticism and was actually a very nice person.’ 

In June 2022, the newly-engaged couple appeared in a video together on Durek’s Instagram account where the American spiritual guide – whose celebrity clients have included Gwyneth Paltrow, Nina Dobrev and James Van Der Beek – hit back at online trolling they’ve faced.

See also  Shakira joins leggy Natalie Imbruglia at The Ivor Novello music awards in London

He said: ‘One, they don’t want to see a black man in the Royal Family because there’s never been one in the history of the European royal family.

‘Second, she’s a female – it’s different when a royal prince chooses a woman of colour because it’s like, “oh he’s a man, he can choose whoever he wants”.

‘But for a princess to choose a man of colour, has never been done in history. So it’s really though for a lot of people to be able to handle that.’

Just weeks before Princess Martha stepped down as a royal, The Times revealed that 17 per cent of the public viewed the Norwegian monarchy more negatively than they did a year prior, with ‘Martha Louise’s relationship with Verrett, 47, cited by many as the reason’. 

Shortly afterwards, Prince Haakon, 49, told local press that he feels ‘responsible’ for the future of the Norwegian monarchy and admitted that some of his future brother-in-law’s views had caused controversy in Norway.

Although the King Harald V allowed Princess Märtha Louise to keep her royal title, her father re-iterated that she will not be allowed to use it in any future commercial partnerships with her partner Durek Verrett.

The Queen took a similar approach with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when quit their public duties and relocated to Montecito, California in 2020.

Speaking to 2News in November, King Harald of Norway explained discussions had taking place over the course of four or five months.

‘We have arrived at a solution which I believe will give greater distance between the princess’s activities and the royal house,’ he said. ‘I am sorry that the princess will no longer represent the royal house.’

He stressed that his daughter has remained a princess at his request, saying: ‘She is our daughter, and she will continue to be. So she is Princess Märtha Louise.’

He also paid tribute to his daughter’s partner as ‘a really great guy, and really fun to be with’.

‘He has a lot of humor and we laugh a lot, even in this difficult time,’ he said. ‘I think both we and he have gained a greater understanding of what this is about, and we agree to disagree, so to speak.

The royal admitted that Shaman Durek had struggled to understand why his daughter’s royal status could not be used to promote commercial projects.

‘The Americans don’t understand the significance of this, they have no idea what a royal house is,’ he explained. ‘He thought he could do whatever he wanted without it affecting us at all.’

[ad_2]

Source link