Princess Märtha Louise of Norway facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Princess Märtha Louise
Märtha Louise on 8 June 2013 at the wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O'Neill
Born	(1971-09-22) 22 September 1971 (age 53) The National Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Spouse	Ari Behn (m. 2002; div. 2017)
Partner	Durek Verrett (2019–present)
Issue	Maud Angelica Behn Leah Isadora Behn Emma Tallulah Behn
House	Glücksburg
Father	Harald V of Norway
Mother	Sonja Haraldsen

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway was born on 22 September 1971. She is a member of the extended Norwegian royal family. She is also a businesswoman and believes she has special abilities.

She was born in Oslo in 1971. Her parents were then-Prince Harald and Sonja Haraldsen. At the time, she could not inherit the Norwegian throne. This rule changed in 1990. She is now fourth in line to the throne. Her father became king in 1991.

Princess Märtha Louise works as a private businesswoman. She also works as an alternative therapist. She does not do official duties for the royal family anymore. From 2007 to 2018, she ran a center. It was known as the "angel school" in Norway. This school focused on communicating with angels and spirits.

She was married to the writer Ari Behn from 2002 to 2017. In 2019, she announced her relationship with Durek Verrett. He is a self-described shaman. He has been called a conman by some in Norway. He has also been linked to conspiracy theories.

Princess Märtha Louise gave up her "Royal Highness" title in 2002. This was part of her choice to work privately. She has often been criticized in Norway. People have questioned her claims of special abilities. They also worry about her using her title for business. Many have asked her to give up her princess title. She has become less popular in Norway. In 2019, the royal court said she would not use her title for business. In 2022, she stopped her royal duties. She now focuses on alternative medicine.

Early Life and Family
Education and Career Paths
- Exploring Alternative Medicine
Princess Märtha Louise's Fund
Marriage and Family Life
Titles, Styles, and Honours
- Titles and Styles
- Honours and Awards
  - From Norway
  - From Other Countries
See also

Early Life and Family

Princess Märtha Louise was born on 22 September 1971. She was born at The National Hospital in Oslo. Her parents were Crown Prince Harald and Crown Princess Sonja. She was named after her grandmother and great-great grandmother.

When she was born, she was not in line to the throne. This was because only males could inherit the throne until 1990. She was baptized a few months after her birth. Her godparents included King Olav V and Princess Ragnhild of Norway.

In 1973, her younger brother, Haakon Magnus, was born. In 1990, the Norwegian constitution changed. It allowed the oldest child to inherit the throne, regardless of gender. This change only affected those born in 1990 or later. Females born between 1971 and 1990, like Märtha Louise, gained succession rights. However, their brothers still came before them. So, Prince Haakon was still ahead of Märtha Louise. After her brother's children were born, Ingrid Alexandra and Sverre Magnus, Märtha Louise became fourth in line.

Education and Career Paths

Princess Märtha Louise is a trained physiotherapist. She studied in Oslo and the Netherlands. However, she chose not to work in this field. She loved Norwegian folk tales and music. She started her own business. She gave public and televised performances. She would recite folk tales and sing with choirs. In 2003, she sang a solo at an Oslo Gospel Choir concert.

On 1 January 2002, Princess Märtha Louise started her own company. This gave her more freedom from her royal duties. She began paying income tax. The King removed her "Royal Highness" title. She still kept her place in the line of succession. She also still did some public duties for the King.

In October 2004, she moved to New York City. This was after some delays due to family events. In 2004, her first book was released. It was a children's story called Why Kings and Queens Don't Wear Crowns. A CD of her reading the story came with the book.

Exploring Alternative Medicine

Princess Märtha Louise has studied different healing methods. She claims she can talk to animals and angels. She started an alternative therapy center called Astarte Education. It was named after an ancient goddess. Astarte Education offered a three-year course. It taught about healing, readings, and angels.

The princess faced criticism for starting this school. Some people in Norway asked her to give up her royal titles. Many experts and public figures expressed concerns. They worried about her plans.

On 11 August 2007, Märtha Louise defended her school. She said her relationship with angels was about "creatures of light." She felt they gave her "strong presence and loving support." She said she still considered herself a Christian.

In 2007, the Princess edited a book. It was called Prinsesse Märtha Louises eventyrlige verden. It contained 67 fairy tales from 50 countries. In 2009, she published two more books. These books were about guardian angels and the secrets of angels.

Princess Märtha Louise's Fund

Princess Märtha Louise at a 2006 book signing in Minnesota, US.

Princess Märtha Louise's Fund was created on 15 September 1972. It gives money to non-governmental groups. These groups help disabled children under 16 in Norway. Princess Märtha Louise is the head of the fund. In 2005, the fund had about 13.2 million Norwegian kroner. It gave out about 500,000 kroner each year.

Marriage and Family Life

On 24 May 2002, Princess Märtha Louise married author Ari Behn in Trondheim. They had three daughters: Maud Angelica, Leah Isadora, and Emma Tallulah. None of their daughters have royal titles. The family lived in London and Norway. Emma Tallulah Behn is a talented horse rider. She won a bronze medal in a national horse jumping competition in 2021.

The couple divorced in 2017. In 2016, the Royal Court announced they would share custody of their daughters.

In May 2019, the princess announced her relationship with Durek Verrett. He is an American self-styled shaman. He has faced strong criticism in Norway. Some Norwegian media have called him a conman. Märtha Louise and Verrett have held seminars together. These were called "The Princess and the Shaman." They have been criticized for suggesting that cancer is a choice. They also sold medallions online. They claimed these medallions could protect against Covid-19. There was no scientific proof for these claims. Märtha Louise also claims she can talk to angels. In June 2022, the princess announced their engagement. They plan to marry on 24 August 2024 in Geiranger.

The newspaper iTromsø noted that Märtha Louise has been criticized. This is because of her association with a conspiracy theorist. She has also been criticized for using her princess title for business.

Titles, Styles, and Honours

Titles and Styles

Her Royal Highness Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (until 2002)
Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (since 2002)

On 8 November 2022, Märtha Louise announced a change. She will no longer have royal duties within the Norwegian royal house. However, she will keep the title of Princess of Norway.