{"id":2162390,"date":"2025-11-17T18:04:31","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T18:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2162390"},"modified":"2025-11-17T18:04:31","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T18:04:31","slug":"forget-meghan-markle-new-netflix-documentary-reveals-the-racist-bleakness-of-life-as-a-royal-from-the-perspective-of-a-european-princess-who-gave-up-her-role-to-be-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/forget-meghan-markle-new-netflix-documentary-reveals-the-racist-bleakness-of-life-as-a-royal-from-the-perspective-of-a-european-princess-who-gave-up-her-role-to-be-free\/","title":{"rendered":"Forget Meghan Markle \u2014 New Netflix Documentary Reveals the Racist Bleakness of Life as a Royal From the Perspective of a European Princess Who Gave Up Her Role to Be Free"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure align-caption-with-image\">\n<div class=\"no-margin\">\n<div style=\"max-width:800px;margin:auto\">\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-container-caption-aligned\"><\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">Princess Martha Louise of Norway showed how &#8216;suffocating&#8217; royal life is in a new Netflix documentary, a source claims. NETFLIX<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The world is used to Netflix pumping out the dramas created by <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/okmagazine.com\/t\/meghan-markle\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Meghan Markle;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">Meghan Markle<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/okmagazine.com\/t\/prince-harry\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Prince Harry;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">Prince Harry<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But the streamer is now laying bare the bleakness of royal life in a new documentary that exposes the strain, scrutiny and cultural clashes behind palace walls \u2013 thanks to <strong>Princess M\u00e4rtha Louise of Norway<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The film, <em>Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story<\/em>, charts M\u00e4rtha&#8217;s journey from royal duty to self-exile, culminating in her <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/world\/princess-shaman-norway-royal-wedding-rcna168930\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:unconventional 2024 wedding;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">unconventional 2024 wedding<\/a> to American shaman <strong>Durek Verrett<\/strong>, 50.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure align-caption-with-image\">\n<div class=\"no-margin\">\n<div style=\"max-width:800px;margin:auto\">\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-container-caption-aligned caas-img-loader\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"The film, 'Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story,' charts M\u00e4rtha's journey from royal duty to self-exile. NETFLIX\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/.KhdXjgWUNkHFFHr1L6yQA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NTA-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_ok_magazine_302\/bc6c3b5ec0803b43d194cc3133bdaaea\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The film, 'Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story,' charts M\u00e4rtha's journey from royal duty to self-exile. NETFLIX\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/.KhdXjgWUNkHFFHr1L6yQA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NTA-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_ok_magazine_302\/bc6c3b5ec0803b43d194cc3133bdaaea\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">The film, &#8216;Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story,&#8217; charts M\u00e4rtha&#8217;s journey from royal duty to self-exile. NETFLIX<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Directed by <em>Tiger King<\/em>&#8216;s <strong>Rebecca Chaiklin<\/strong> and backed by full access to the couple, the documentary revisits 54-year-old M\u00e4rtha&#8217;s decades-long struggle with her position, the racism her partner faced when entering the family and the deep unease their relationship sparked across the Norwegian court.<\/p>\n<p>A source close to the production said: &#8220;This documentary strips away the fantasy. M\u00e4rtha shows exactly how suffocating royal life can be, and how steep the cost is for anyone who dares to step outside tradition.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure align-caption-with-image\">\n<div class=\"no-margin\">\n<div style=\"max-width:800px;margin:auto\">\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-container-caption-aligned caas-img-loader\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"M\u00e4rtha, daughter of King Harald and Queen Sonja, renounced her official royal role in 2022. NETFLIX\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/PRocDb_WHxvH35wvA0ENnw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NTA-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_ok_magazine_302\/da32589314ba4ac7fc254b76f3d21d60\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"M\u00e4rtha, daughter of King Harald and Queen Sonja, renounced her official royal role in 2022. NETFLIX\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/PRocDb_WHxvH35wvA0ENnw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NTA-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_ok_magazine_302\/da32589314ba4ac7fc254b76f3d21d60\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">M\u00e4rtha, daughter of King Harald and Queen Sonja, renounced her official royal role in 2022. NETFLIX<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Another insider added: &#8220;Meghan&#8217;s claims of institutional racism within the British royal family have nothing on this.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The bleakness shown here comes from the rules \u2013 the unspoken ones are often the hardest. M\u00e4rtha makes clear she spent years contorting herself just to survive inside the system.<\/p>\n<p>M\u00e4rtha, daughter of <strong>King Harald<\/strong> and<strong> Queen Sonja<\/strong>, renounced her official royal role in 2022, saying she wanted &#8220;to create a clearer dividing line between her business activities and her role as a member of the royal family.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>20 years earlier, she had already <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/royals\/princess-martha-louise-norway-relinquishes-royal-duties\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:relinquished the title;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">relinquished the title<\/a> &#8220;Her Royal Highness&#8221; to pursue a career in entertainment. In the documentary, she admits she found leaving her role behind &#8220;a bit sad.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>She added: &#8220;But that&#8217;s how everybody wanted it, and I&#8217;m good at accepting things I can&#8217;t change.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Her fianc\u00e9 added a new layer of tension. Verrett, a Hollywood-based shaman who has worked with <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/okmagazine.com\/t\/gwyneth-paltrow\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Gwyneth Paltrow;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">Gwyneth Paltrow<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/okmagazine.com\/t\/nina-dobrev\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Nina Dobrev;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">Nina Dobrev<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/okmagazine.com\/t\/james-van-der-beek-2\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:James Van Der Beek;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">James Van Der Beek<\/a>, recalls shocking racism he encountered at a royal dinner in Denmark.<\/p>\n<p>He said: &#8220;One guy even said to me, &#8216;You see all the pictures on the walls? Your family comes from Africa, right?&#8217; And I said &#8216;yes,&#8217; and he goes, &#8216;Well, you know, all these people are the people who enslaved your family. How does that make you feel?&#8217; Who says that?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>M\u00e4rtha reflected: &#8220;When Durek walks into the room, he&#8217;s guilty from the start. It must be so exhausting.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure align-caption-with-image\">\n<div class=\"no-margin\">\n<div style=\"max-width:800px;margin:auto\">\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-container-caption-aligned caas-img-loader\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"The documentary also exposes the awkwardness of Verrett Durek's first meeting with the King and Queen.NETFLIX\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Gy.6pBrnLtLFwcv3LM_H5g--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NTA-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_ok_magazine_302\/42c89bb244cceaa440ea508745a28083\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The documentary also exposes the awkwardness of Verrett Durek's first meeting with the King and Queen.NETFLIX\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Gy.6pBrnLtLFwcv3LM_H5g--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NTA-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_ok_magazine_302\/42c89bb244cceaa440ea508745a28083\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">The documentary also exposes the awkwardness of Verrett Durek&#8217;s first meeting with the King and Queen.NETFLIX<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Verrett also said King Harald, <strong>Queen Sonja<\/strong> and<strong> Crown Prince Haakon <\/strong>&#8220;didn&#8217;t even know what <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/okmagazine.com\/news\/oprah-winfrey-suffered-racial-slurs-after-appearing-ellen-degeneres-90s-sitcom\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:racism was;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">racism was<\/a>&#8221; until Prince Harry and Meghan Markle&#8217;s 2021 <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/okmagazine.com\/t\/oprah-winfrey\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Oprah;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">Oprah<\/a> interview forced a discussion on the issue. &#8220;I got a message from the King saying, &#8216;Do you feel that we&#8217;ve treated you the same way?'&#8221; Verrett said. &#8220;Finally, her parents listened to me, and the King said he has no tolerance for the way people have been treating me.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The documentary also exposes the awkwardness of Durek&#8217;s first meeting with the King and Queen.<\/p>\n<p>M\u00e4rtha admitted: &#8220;I think my mom was a bit worried because to be with a shaman, that&#8217;s terribly out of the box.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"caas-figure align-caption-with-image\">\n<div class=\"no-margin\">\n<div style=\"max-width:800px;margin:auto\">\n<div class=\"caas-img-container caas-img-container-caption-aligned caas-img-loader\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"caas-img caas-lazy has-preview\" alt=\"The film is on Netflix. NETFLIX\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/ruAZm6Js12sXEccTG0pEsQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NTA-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_ok_magazine_302\/2c2f339bd81b796736961fd4baa88a09\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The film is on Netflix. NETFLIX\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/ruAZm6Js12sXEccTG0pEsQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02NTA-\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_ok_magazine_302\/2c2f339bd81b796736961fd4baa88a09\" class=\"caas-img\"\/><\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"caption-collapse\">The film is on Netflix. NETFLIX<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Verrett added: &#8220;When I met the Queen and King, they were just staring at me, and it was dead silence\u2026 they hated my clothes\u2026 it wasn&#8217;t like, &#8216;Oh, welcome to our family, we love you, we get you.&#8217; It was like, &#8216;Why are you with this guy?'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>M\u00e4rtha&#8217;s daughters <strong>Maud<\/strong>, 22, <strong>Leah<\/strong>, 20, and<strong> Emma<\/strong>, 16 \u2013 whom she shared with her first husband <strong>Ari Behn<\/strong> before his death in 2019 \u2013 initially thought <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/princess-martha-louise-norway-durek-verrett-respond-claims-lavender-marriage-11826636\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Verrett was gay;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">Verrett was gay<\/a>. &#8220;He has a lot of personality. We loved it, though,&#8221; Emma said.<\/p>\n<p>Verrett described their story as &#8220;a story of resilience&#8221; and one meant to inspire viewers &#8220;to live their truth as they are, unapologetically.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He added: &#8220;I think that&#8217;s a very important aspect that we wanted to share with the world, especially in today&#8217;s world.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Read more at <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.okmagazine.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:OK!;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">OK!<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Get OK!&#8217;s biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/okmagazine.com\/newsletter-signup\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Sign up now;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">Sign up now<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>FOLLOW OK! ON <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029VaksEO40bIdoNRSOz00I\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:WHATSAPP HERE;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">WHATSAPP HERE<\/a>: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, entertainment, and pop culture via our <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029VaksEO40bIdoNRSOz00I\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:WhatsApp channel;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link rapid-noclick-resp\">WhatsApp channel<\/a>. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.aol.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Princess Martha Louise of Norway showed how &#8216;suffocating&#8217; royal life is in a new Netflix documentary, a source claims. NETFLIX The world is used to Netflix pumping out the dramas created by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. But the streamer is now laying bare the bleakness of royal life in a new documentary that exposes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2162391,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[29138,361254,23067,23191,22730,414870,414869,361252,414871],"class_list":["post-2162390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-royalty","tag-british-royal-family","tag-king-harald","tag-meghan-markle","tag-netflix","tag-prince-harry","tag-princess-martha-louise-of-norway","tag-queen-sonja","tag-rebel-royals","tag-verrett-durek"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Forget-Meghan-Markle-\u2014-New-Netflix-Documentary-Reveals-the-Racist.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2162390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2162390"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2162390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2162392,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2162390\/revisions\/2162392"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2162391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2162390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2162390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2162390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}