A Norwegian princess is set to marry her American partner, self-styled shaman Durek Verrett in a lavish ceremony.
Hundreds of guests are arriving in the town of Alesund, in western Norway, ahead of a private ceremony on Saturday.
Guests will take part in a “meet and greet” in a historic hotel for the wedding of Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett.
Members of the Swedish royal family are said to be attending alongside various social media influencers and TV personalities.
According to Hello! the couple are already imposing a "cool and sexy" dress code on their guests. According to Norwegian media, guests have been asked not to use mobile phones or cameras during the celebrations and not to post anything on social media.
Norway's Princess Martha Louise and her American fiancé Durek Verrett
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Both members of the couple have been controversial in the past. Princess Märtha Louise has long attracted controversy in Norway for decades for her involvement in alternative treatments.
She lost her honorific "Her Royal Highness" title in 2002 so as to be allowed to start her own business. In 2007, she announced she was clairvoyant and, until 2018, ran a school which she said taught students to "create miracles" and talk to angels.
Meanwhile, in October 2021, Durek raised eyebrows in Norway when he claimed in a now-deleted Instagram post that he is a "hybrid of space lizard."
He captioned the post: "I am a hybrid of a space lizard ('reptilian') and Andromedia (princess from Greek mythology), and I also have ancient spirits from the ancient world. Lies have been told about our species that I want to address. We are a cluster of beings, and that means we have come here to create structures that help people to liberation."
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The couple are set to marry this weekend
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Last year, Princess Märtha Louise told the BBC: “There's been a lot of criticism over the years, especially with me being spiritual – and in Norway, that’s taboo,”
Verrett says on his website that he is a sixth generation shaman who "demystifies spirituality" through his "no-nonsense teachings."
In an interview with Vanity Fair magazine, he claimed to have risen from the dead and said that when he was a child a relative had predicted he would one day marry the princess of Norway.
The couple have raised eyebrows in Norway. Royal correspondent at NRK TV Kristi Marie Skrede said: "They think he has said very strange things and there are many cultural differences...Many people here are very critical of what Mr Verrett says and does in his role as a shaman."
Durek Verrett once referred to himself as a hybrid space lizard
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Beloved King Harald, 88, ascended to the throne in 1991 and is one of Europe's longest-serving monarchs. In April, plans were announced to reduce his public engagements “out of consideration for his age”.
However, locals are also upset that Norwegian media is excluded from covering the wedding as the couple has signed deals with Hello! magazine for exclusive coverage.
Skrede said: "This means the public won’t know or see anything about it unless they buy the magazine."
