,type=downsize)
Princess Märtha Louise of Norway said yes! The Norwegian royal announced her engagement to Shaman Durek Verrett on Tuesday. “I am so happy to announce that I am engaged to Shaman Durek, the one who makes my heart skip, the one who sees me and acknowledges me from my highest potential, who makes me laugh and who I can be vulnerable with. Love transcends and makes us grow. And I am so happy to continue to grow with this beautiful man,” the Princess wrote alongside a photo of herself and her fiancé.
“Thank you to all my friends and family who have stood steadfast by our side and special thanks to @hegecfossum et co. for your generosity and making our day truly special,” she continued.
Märtha showed off her dazzling ring in the picture. The royal’s fiancé shared the same photo on his respective page writing, “She said YES! When you know you know. There is nothing better than having clarity as a man that the woman that stands in front of you is the one. I’m overjoyed with tears that I get to spend the rest of my life with the most pure hearted, angelic, wise, powerhouse woman who represents all levels of a goddess in my eyes. Together as a soulful spiritual couple, we will use our power to support the people to create a world based in love and acceptance. Changing the world through our love. Love expands beyond all barriers and conditions. Love is free and transparent. It invites growth and foundation. It shows human beings we are more than our fears, our hate or social conditioning.”
Durek called the Princess “the love of my life.” “She sees all aspects of me, and I see all of her,” he penned. “I am a guy who loves a girl who loves me back. I get to show and demonstrate to this divine woman how much I love her for the rest of my life. I am the happiest I ever been. Thank you to @hegecfossum for your generosity and open hearts for assisting me to making this proposal exquisite. Thank you to my beloved family and friends. I love you!”
In 2019, the couple went public with their relationship on Instagram. “We chose to go out with our love on Instagram to own our story because my whole life has been in the press since I was zero years old and so I have been through a lot of times where the press have decided my story instead of me choosing how I want to present it, and so that was actually really nice when we could actually choose that. Although it was a bit shocking, I think,” King Harald V and Queen Sonja’s daughter explained to Tamron Hall last year.
Shaman Durek previously revealed to Vanity Fair that he had asked Märtha’s parents for their blessing prior to the tragic death of Märtha’s ex-husband, Ari Behn, in 2019 . Vanity Fair reported in 2020 that the spiritual guide had planned on proposing during a trip to Hawaii, but his plans changed after Ari’s suicide. Shaman Durek ended up postponing the proposal multiple times. According to Vanity Fair, “He had planned to do it at Disneyland, and then Lake Tahoe, but he says the spirits kept telling the princess of his plans, spoiling the surprise.”
The Norwegian royal family has congratulated the couple on their engagement. The Norwegian Royal House shared on June 7 that “His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen send their most heartfelt congratulations to Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett on the occasion of their engagement, and wish them all the best for the future.” The Crown Prince family also sent “warm congratulations on the occasion” of Crown Prince Haakon’s sister’s engagement to Shaman Durek. The Royal House added, “They wish the whole family all the best for the future.”