A new Netflix documentary, Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story, is causing some royal family drama. The film, which follows Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and her husband, Durek Verrett, is apparently a violation of the agreement the princess made with her family when she stepped down from royal duties.
“All people should have the right to tell their story. This also applies to Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett. At the same time, the Royal House wants a clearer distinction between the activities of Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett and the Royal House. This will be the topic of the conversations we will have in the future,” the Norwegian Royal Family’s communications manager Guri Varpe told NRK.
In 2022, Princess Märtha Louise, the eldest child of King Harald V and Queen Sonja, gave up her official duties. “Princess Märtha Louise wishes to differentiate more clearly between her own activities and her relationship to the Royal House of Norway. The Princess has therefore decided, in consultation with His Majesty The King and other close family members, that she will not carry out official duties for the Royal House at the present time,” the royal family said at the time. “This means, among other things, that they will not employ the title of Princess or refer to members of the Royal House in their social media channels, in media productions or in connection with other commercial activities.”
The violation of that agreement occurred in Rebel Royals, when Crown Prince Haakon, Märtha’s younger brother, appeared in a screener version of film talking to Verrett. That scene has since been removed. “When we were made aware that a clip of the Crown Prince from the wedding celebration had been used, we contacted the director and requested that the clip be removed. As is known, the Royal House has reserved its right not to be filmed for this production in situations where other press did not have access. The clip has now been removed,” Varpe said.
Märtha and Durek’s wedding is a main focal point of the film, which her family attended.
In response, Princess Märtha Louise and Verrett wrote to NRK, “We recognize the seriousness of this situation and the importance of safeguarding the integrity of the agreement going forward. In hindsight, there are undoubtedly things we wish we had handled differently. Our focus now is to take responsibility and ensure that we move forward in a constructive manner. For this reason, we cannot answer press questions here, as even doing so could in itself be considered a breach of the agreement.”
They added, “We both have a close and loving relationship with each member of the Royal Family. We care deeply for them, and it pains us deeply if anything in this process has caused them pain or harm in any way. At the same time, we believe that everyone has the right to tell their own story – and that includes us. It would be impossible to make a documentary without acknowledging that Märtha Louise is part of the royal family.”
Hours after Rebel Royals premiered, Crown Princess Mette-Marit was asked about if she had seen it. While she had not yet, and had not decided if she was going to watch, Mette-Marit said “I definitely think it will” be discussed at the Palace.
Rebel Royals is now streaming on Netflix. Watch now
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.townandcountrymag.com ’
