Marius is not the only one challenging the Norwegian monarchy. In addition to the problems caused by Mette-Marit's son, charged with 32 crimes, now comes the documentary of Marta Luisa and her husband, the shaman Durek Verrett. The controversial Netflix film, titled Rebel Royalty: An Unusual Love Story, has become a new headache for the Norwegian royals, who have been struggling lately.
The documentary has not pleased the royal house nor Ari Behn's family, Marta Luisa's first husband and father of her daughters, who committed suicide in 2019. The discontent is so evident that even Prince Haakon, Marta Luisa's brother, expressed it publicly during a visit to Buskerud County with his wife, Mette-Marit. Haakon admitted that he watched the documentary, which, among other things, summarizes the love story of his sister and the shaman, and shared his opinion on the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. "I believe I should refrain from judging it, but unfortunately, I don't think it distinguishes enough between the activities of the royal house and the project and the commercial aspect of Princess Marta Luisa and Durek Verrett's activities," he stated. "It is important for us to make this distinction. There are examples of how they have tried to adhere to the agreement, but then this documentary appeared, and we need to make a new turn," he added.
Marta Luisa renounced her commitments to the royal house in 2022 to pursue commercial ventures and pledged not to commercially exploit her princess status or anything related to royalty, but with the Netflix documentary, she has broken the family agreement. "We have to try to resolve it. We have already started talking about it," emphasized Prince Haakon when asked.
The documentary premiered on September 16. It was filmed in the months leading up to Marta Luisa and Durek Verret's wedding, where they openly discuss their intimacy and recount the racism the shaman endured. She also reveals that as a child, she hated the princess environment surrounding her. "I am nothing like the rest of my family," she confesses. It also mentions Mette-Marit's wild years, with "parties and drugs," and other aspects.
The release of the documentary comes at a very challenging time for the Norwegian royals. In addition to Marius Borg's trial in February, charged with 32 crimes, including four rapes, there are also Mette-Marit's health issues, suffering from chronic pulmonary fibrosis, and announcing her withdrawal from public engagements in October for pulmonary rehabilitation. Haakon stated that they will remain active during the trial. "At this moment, we have nothing more to say about the legal process; we will continue to adhere to the official program," he declared.