Crown Prince Haakon of Norway responds to sister's surprising royal request
Princess Martha Louise has a complicated relationship with her family.
The 51-year-old decided to relinquish her royal duties at the end of last year in order to "differentiate more clearly between her own activities and her relationship to the Royal House of Norway".
The Princess and her fiancé Durek Verrett, a self-described shaman, had faced much criticism prior to her decision, with some media outlets describing Derek as a conman. He, meanwhile, has said they have received death threats as you can see in the following clip.
The couple had organised seminars together titled The Princess and the Shaman, while he has also claimed to have been initiated spiritually by an American woman who calls herself Princess Susana von Radić of Croatia.
But just recently Martha Louise admitted she hopes to once again represent the royal family. Speaking on Swedish TV in a show titled Min Sanning (My Truth): "Yes, if I get the opportunity, I will say yes to it."
She further claimed that she had to step back from royal life not because of her own actions – but because of things Derek has said and the way he is perceived. Among other things, Derek came under fire for selling a medallion which he claimed helped him recover from Covid.
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Now her brother, Crown Prince Haakon, has spoken out about a possible return to royal life for Martha Louise.
During a visit to London last week, during which time he met with the Prince and Princess of Wales, Haakon said: "I would like to say that we are lucky in Norway with the Norwegian press and media that are aware of their social mission and do a good job. We have many dedicated and skilled journalists who are concerned with their social mission. So that is my starting point into this discussion.”
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His Royal Highness added: “So it is clear that I recognise myself in some of what my sister says. Among other things, when we were growing up, there was a lot of attention around us, privacy etc. It can be experienced as difficult. So I have a certain understanding of that.”
When asked what it will take for Princess Martha Louise to make a comeback for the Norwegian Royal House, the Crown Prince said that they will see what happens in time.
He added: “Now we have found an arrangement that we have to let work for a while, and on which we have come to an agreement. Then we will see what time will bring.”
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