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Norway’s Royal Household has been rocked by the news that Crown Princess Mette-Marit‘s son was arrested after a serious incident on Sunday night.
Marius Borg Høiby, 27, the stepson of the heir to the Norwegian throne, Crown Prince Haakon, is under suspicion for causing bodily harm and criminal damage, Oslo police said Wednesday.
But the royal shock hasn’t deterred Princess Märtha Louise, 52, and her controversial self-professed shaman fiancé Durek Verrett, 49, from continuing the buzz around their big day, set to be the royal wedding of the year.
Taking to his Instagram Stories today, Durek shared a friend’s photo of him and his glamorous soon-to-be wife posing with pals, alongside the caption: ‘Count down to the wedding’.
Märtha Louise also took to her social media account to promote the latest episode of her podcast Heartsmart Conversations, in which her fiancé made an appearance as they discussed the upcoming nuptials taking place later this month in Norway.
Princess Märtha Louise, 52, and her controversial self-professed shaman fiancé Durek Verrett, 49, have continued to add to the buzz around their big day, set to be the royal wedding of the year
Referring to the ‘big wedding’, Durek said in the podcast: ‘To me marriage isn’t just you getting married to someone, it is literally an act before God, that I am merging my life with her children, with her family, with my family, and really showing up.
‘That’s something that I really love about myself, I love that I’m the type of man that shows up. I love being able to show up for her, I love showing up for her kids, and I love how my family shows up for her, and I love how her family shows up for me.
‘It’s a beautiful relationship. Everyone is loving each other. It’s a beautiful, beautiful expression of what family should be, and what love should be.
‘And I would not have asked for her hand in marriage, if I hadn’t known in my soul that I’m going to spend the rest of my life with this woman and live every single breath I have to make her happy.’
Martha Louise added: ‘We’re looking very much forward to our wedding… which is not far away right now.
‘It’s really going to be nice for me because I have so much love for Norway… I’m just really excited about all my friends coming from all over the world to this wedding, not just to witness our love but to also witness Norway,’ continued Durek.
But their social media posts come after Marius Borg Høiby, the son of Mette-Marit from a previous relationship, was arrested at the weekend on suspicion of assaulting a woman, police said on Wednesday.
Police said they were called to an Oslo address early Sunday after an overnight altercation in an apartment.
Marius Borg Høiby (pictured with Prince Haakon of Norway), 27, the stepson of the heir to the Norwegian throne, Crown Prince Haakon, is under suspicion for causing bodily harm and criminal damage, Oslo police said Wednesday
Märtha Louise also took to her social media account to promote the latest episode (pictured) of her podcast Heartsmart Conversations, in which her fiancé made an appearance as they discussed the upcoming nuptials taking place later this month in Norway
A man in his 20s was arrested over the incident and released from custody the following day, police said in a statement.
‘As it has been made known in several media that this (person) is Marius Borg Høiby, the police confirm that it is Høiby who is a suspect in the case.’
Police said he was suspected of causing ‘bodily harm and damage’. They did not identify the woman, saying only there was ‘relationship between the accused and the victim’.
Høiby faces preliminary charges of bodily harm and criminal damage, one stage short of formal charges.
Police said they had ‘no information that the victim suffered serious injuries’. The apartment where the incident took place appeared to have been destroyed, according to Norwegian tabloid Dagbladet.
While Høiby was raised by Mette-Marit and Haakon together with his step-siblings, 20-year-old Princess Ingrid Alexandra and 18-year-old Prince Sverre Magnus, unlike them he has no official public role.
The case was top news in Norway where the royals are popular.
Norwegian news agency NTB said that Mette-Marit had postponed a planned trip to attend the Olympic Games in Paris while her husband Haakon traveled to the French capital. The reason for the postponement was not given.
The Norwegian Palace confirmed to local media that the Crown Princess has decided to ‘temporarily postpone’ her trip.
Norway’s Royal Household has been rocked by the news that Crown Princess Mette-Marit ‘s son was arrested after a serious incident on Sunday night (pictured with Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Crown Prince Haakon and the Crown Princess in 2022)
Mette-Marit was supposed to be attending the men’s 1500-metre final at the Paris Olympics last night, however Crown Prince Haakon (centre) appeared in the stands alone
Norway’s Princess Ingrid Alexandra (front C) poses for a family photo with (front L and R) Norway’s King Harald V and Norway’s Queen Sonja and (back LtoR) Marit Tjessem, Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon, Norway’s Prince Sverre Magnus and Marius Borg Hoiby on the occasion of a gala dinner for her 18th birthday in Oslo in 2022
‘The Crown Princess has temporarily postponed her departure and hopes to travel down later’, the Palace’s communications chief wrote in a text message to Se og Hør.
In Paris, Haakon told Norwegian reporters that ‘it is a serious matter when the police are involved in the way they are, but at the same time it is not right for me to go into the details of the case.’
The 27-year-old is now said to be at the royal Skaugum estate with his 50-year-old mother.
Øyvind Bratlien, who has expertise in high-profile criminal cases, has been hired by Marius Borg Høiby as his defence lawyer.
In a statement to Se og Hør, Bratlien said: ‘The charge concerns assault, which under the law is the least severe form of violence.
‘Neither my client nor I have been informed of the full details of the case, and he has not yet given a statement, on my advice.’
The police’s security service (PST), which is responsible for the security of the royal family, confirmed to Nettavisen that they are aware of the incident.
‘We can confirm that PST was informed shortly after the incident. But we do not want to comment on the case further and we refer the Oslo police district for statements’, said Martin Bernsen, senior adviser in PST, to the newspaper.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway’s son Marius Borg Høiby was arrested after a serious incident on Sunday night
Marius previously dated London-based former Playboy model Juliane Snekkstad in 2019
When he turned 20 the royal court announced he was stepping away from public life and his profile was removed from the family’s official website
Official royal family photograph celebrating Crown Prince Haakon (Up 2nd L) 45th birthday with his family, while he poses beside Princess Martha Louise (Up L), Crown Princess Mette-Marit (Up C), Princess Ingrid Alexandra (2nd R), Maud Angelica Behn (R), (Bottom L-R) Prince Sverre Magnus, Queen Sonja and King Harald V, in July 2018
According to Lovdata, the Norwegian foundation which publishes judicial information, bodily harm can be punished ‘with a fine or imprisonment of up to one year, anyone who commits violence against another person or physically violates him in any other way is punished’.
If the charge is extended to grievous bodily harm the penalty can be up to six years in prison.
Growing up, Høiby made public appearances with his mother, stepfather and half sister Ingrid Alexandra (who is the future queen of Norway) and half brother Prince Sverre Magnus on occasions such as national day.
However, when he turned 20 the royal court announced he was stepping away from public life and his profile was removed from the family’s official website.
‘Høiby will not conduct any official activities on the Royal Family’s behalf,’ a statement said, ‘on the basis of his wish to live outside the public eye.’
His mother Crown Princess Mette-Marit also published an open letter on the court website, saying: ‘Marius is, and will continue to be, a vital member of our family. He has always had a public role that has been very difficult to define.’
‘Unlike his siblings, he has no official duties. He won’t have a public role and is not a public person. Marius became a symbol for the unusual choice we made when we married.’
Marius was previously linked to heiress Linn Helena Nilsen, but the couple split in July 2017.
The incident comes just weeks before Crown Prince Haakon’s sister, Princess Martha Louise, is set to marry American ‘shaman’ Durek Verrett
Norway’s Princess Märtha Louise and her fiancé Durek Verrett (pictured together) issued a cease-and-desist letter to his estranged 81-year-old mother and reportedly threatened legal action over her ‘slander’ and ‘false statements’
Femail has contacted the Norwegian royal palace for comment.
The incident threatens to overshadow what should be a happy time for the Norwegian royal family as Princess Martha Louise, Crown Prince Haakon’s older sister, is set to marry her husband, ‘Shaman’ Durek Verrett, on August 31 at the Union Hotel in Geirangerfjord.
The couple’s relationship has not been without controversy itself, as the Norwegian princess stepped down as a working member of the royal family following backlash over her partner’s controversial views.
In November 2022, Martha Louise announced she would no longer be a working royal after the American shamanic healer’s previous assertions came to light.
Among his deeply controversial and pseudoscientific opinions, published in a book called ‘Spirit Hacking’, were claims that children ‘can get cancer from being unhappy’.
Durek has also claimed he once came back from the dead, recovering from a month-long coma, by letting his soul ‘burn’ and he has also spoken of having to undergo a kidney transplant from his sister as a child.
It is unclear why he needed the kidney or how he became wheelchair bound, as he has described. The illness which sent him into a coma is also undisclosed.
Princess Martha, whose first husband Ari Behn took his own life in December 2019, also claims to hold spiritual powers, and has previously recalled having what she says were ‘psychic premonitions’ when she was a child.
The couple (pictured in June 2022) have had a tumultuous few years after the princess, who claims to be a clairvoyant, stepped down from royal duties over Verrett’s pseudoscientific views
Speaking to the BBC last year, she said: ‘When I was little I would see things in you. If you were sad or if you were happy… if you had a pain in your shoulder I would get a pain in my shoulder.
‘And I understood that that’s a talent and, you know, I could help other people. And that’s when the whole ball started rolling.’
She also revealed she had decided to step down as a working royal so she could earn her own money; something she has since pursued through a podcast and touring the nation giving spiritual talks and holding workshops.
She added that, in Norway, spiritual beliefs like the ones she holds are ‘taboo’.
After giving up her position in the royal family, the Princess revealed she has had to deal with ‘lots of scrutiny’ – particularly when she takes on new roles.
‘Everything you do that’s a first, that goes out of the box that you’re put in,’ she said, adding that press scrutiny has ‘continued’.
The approach to the wedding has hardly been smooth sailing thus far, with the bride and groom embroiled in a furious row with Durek’s estranged mother over claims she made in an interview with a Norwegian tabloid.
Last month, the couple confirmed they sent a cease-and-desist letter to Veruschka Urquhart, with Durek explaining on Instagram how they believe their decision is ‘the only remaining option for change’.
He said his mother has ‘repeatedly slandered our characters through false statements showing a significant lack of care and love towards Märtha, myself, and our respective families’.
In interviews with celebrity magazine Se og Hør, Veruschka has labelled her son ‘dangerous’, alleging that he had ‘brainwashed’ the princess and that their family was not as wealthy as Durek has tried to make out.
Princess Martha Louise and Ari Behn married in 2002 and have three children together Maud Angelica, Leah Isadora and Emma Tallulah
Princess Martha Louise and her first husband Ari Behn attend the wedding of Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist in June 2015 – before Ari’s death four years later
The publication claimed to be sharing the ‘shock letter, word for word’, in which Märtha has reportedly threatened her future mother-in-law with a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, if she does not retract what she has said.
The letter from ‘Shaman Durek and Princess Martha Louise’ allegedly reads: ‘We are writing to order you to refrain from defaming, disparaging and making false and provocative statements about Shaman Durek.
‘If you do not fully and loyally comply with this order, and choose not to deny your statements, Shaman Durek will use the civil remedies at his disposal against you to the extent possible under the law, including seeking damages of millions of dollars. To put it plainly, Shaman Durek will sue you.’
The princess’s manager reportedly confirmed to newspaper VG that the letter was sent from the royal and her partner.
Following the news, Editor-in-chief of Se og Hør Ulf André Andersen wrote a comment piece calling for King Harald to ‘take action’.
In the text, translated from Norwegian to English, the editor wrote: ‘The title of princess is dignified and hangs high in a strong monarchy.
‘But now is definitely the time for a family council. The result must be one of two – either Märtha herself allows the title to remain at the Castle, or the king puts his foot down for her.’
Norwegian online newspaper Nettavisen’s royal expert, Tove Taalesen, echoed this, saying: ‘I think that King Harald and Crown Prince Haakon should distance themselves more from the princess and Durek, if that is how they are going to act in the future.’
The expert previously said: ‘It is probably time to remove Princess Märtha Louise’s right of succession to the throne.’
It’s not the first time calls have been made for Martha Louise to lose her title; the princess was noted to have broken her ‘Megxit’ agreement with the King seven times in less than two years.
Royal expert Trond Norén Isaksen told Aftenposten, one of Norway’s largest printed newspapers: ‘When the agreement is not respected, it is time to strike Märtha Louise’s princess title before King Harald’s life’s work takes further damage.’
The expert also noted: ‘In October 2022, three different opinion polls showed that more than half wanted Märtha Louise to give up the princess title, while less than a quarter wanted her to keep it.’
The article also revealed how a specially made gin from Oslo Handcraft Distillery for the wedding of Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett had her princess title reportedly referenced on the label of the bottle and the brand’s website.
Princess Märtha’s manager Carina Scheele Carlsen told Norwegian newspaper VG that it was apparently a ‘mistake’ to include the title and that it would be removed from the next batch of the bottles and the website.
But when asked by the publication why the royal used her Princess title in the letter to her soon-to-be mother-in-law, the manager claimed: ‘Princess Märtha Louise is her name in the national register, and must be used on legal documents such as this,’ according to an English translation of the quote.
Following the reports about the letter, Durek took to Instagram to explain his reasoning, saying: ‘I wanted to clarify Märtha Louise’s and my recent decision to issue a cease-and-desist letter to my mother, Veruschka.
‘VG’s research earlier this year has uncovered Veruschka being in a paid contract with Se og Hør, and she has, because of this contract, repeatedly slandered our characters through false statements showing a significant lack of care and love towards Märtha, myself, and our respective families.
‘The cease-and-desist letter directly addresses these issues and is a standard procedure in the United States when defamatory situations occur.
‘Regrettably, we have found the cease-and-desist letter to be the only remaining option for change. We are sorry that it has come to this step. We see no other options.’
He continued in the post: ‘Veruschka has been estranged from much of our family for a considerable period.
‘As previously expressed in VG @vgnett, our family is deeply concerned for her mental health and well-being and has made numerous efforts to help her achieve a better quality of life.
‘Unfortunately, she has rejected the guidance and support offered by most of her children, including myself. Instead of communicating with us as a family, she has chosen to go to the press with continuous fabrications.
‘Her false claims about me are regrettably a ploy to secure a position with Se og Hør to support her livelihood.
‘This estrangement extends to my younger brother Brandon and his family, my older sister Angelina and her family, Martha, and myself. Despite this, our family remains united in our stance against her actions.
‘We hope this clarifies our position on this matter. Sincerely, Durek D. Verrett,’ he concluded his post, in which he shared a picture of him and his partner, posing on a beach in sunglasses and vibrant outfits.
