The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made an unexpected appearance in Netflix‘s new documentary, Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story, which delves into the “controversial” relationship between Norwegian Princess Märtha Louise and her American shaman partner, Durek Verrett, in the lead-up to their wedding. In the documentary, Durek opened up about the intense scrutiny he faced from the press and the public and drew comparisons between his situation and that of Prince Harry and Meghan, who have previously spoken out about racism from the tabloid press and concerns about unconscious bias in the royal family.
“Honesty, stepping into Norway, I felt judged on every level,” explained Durek, before going on to detail the abuse he faced on social media after joining the European royal family. “It’s not easy when you’re getting 200 messages on your Instagram of people putting you down every day,” he said. “It’s not easy when you’re getting death threats from people. It’s not easy when people are racist towards me. Me being the first Black man in the European royal family is very hard for people.’
When Princess Märtha Louise’s parents, Norwegian King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, publicly commented on the “culture clash” between Durek and the Norwegians, the press “made a racial slur”, according to Durek, who cited one Norwegian newspaper which published an article that read: “Not exactly a whipping in the square, but still a clear no when the king spoke about Durek Verrett’s quakery on Tuesday.
© Courtesy of NetflixDurek explained: “One time, her parents made a comment about our culture clash. What they did in the press was, ‘The King’s going to whip him’, they made a racial slur, and her family would do nothing to help me.”
The celebrity shaman went on to reveal how Meghan’s interview with Oprah in March 2021, in which she spoke about racism, mental health and her relationship with the media and the Royal Family, prompted a response from the Norwegian royals. “It was only when Harry and Meghan went into the press with Oprah did I get a message from the King saying, ‘Do you feel that we treated you the same way?'” explained Durek, as a clip of Meghan’s interview with Oprah flashed onto the screen.
Durek went on to explain how her parents “finally listened” to him and wrote a press release condemning racism, which was later mentioned by Prince Harry in an interview with ABC News in 2023. A clip of Harry praising the King of Norway was then played. “Within the last couple of months, the King of Norway led by example,” he said, adding, “It is huge and I congratulate them for that enormously.”
Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story is on Netflix now.
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