Martha-Louise's fiance 'tried to convince journalist of Illuminati'

Princess Martha-Louise's fiance Durek Verrett has been accused of trying to convince a journalist of the existence of the Illuminati - after it was revealed the Norwegian Royal Family will 'avoid being photographed or filmed' at their wedding.

The European royal, 51, is marrying the celebrity shaman in Geiranger Fjord in western Norway next weekend.

The couple were introduced by friends in 2019 and have claimed to have known each other in a past life, specifically from the days of ancient Egypt. 

Ahead of the wedding, which is being covered exclusively by Netflix and Hello! magazine, a local journalist spoke about her experience with Durek in an interview with The Times.

Ingeborg Senneset - who works for Norway's largest newspaper Aftenposten - was one of the journalists to highlight Durek's claims that cancer in children can be caused by 'being unhappy'.

The reporter told the publication: 'He has been talking about removing bad spirits from children.

'In 2021 he left me a series of voicemails and tried to convince me of the existence of the Illuminati. 

'It’s kind of important people know just how far out he actually is.'

The Illuminati is a conspiracy theory that politicians, doctors, celebrities and other high-profile people are members of a secret group that controls the world. Femail has contacted Durek Verrett for comment. 

Born in Sacramento in November 1974, the royal groom-to-be claims he first became 'aware' of his shamanic abilities when he was five but that he didn't start training until age 11 . 

He has spoken in the past of being able to get patients to vomit to get rid of 'poisons' in their bodies and says he keeps a bucket in sessions in case they need to throw up.

The Norwegian journalist's claims come after it was revealed members of the Royal Family will 'avoid being filmed or photographed' at the wedding as a result of the couple's controversial Netflix and Hello! magazine deals.

Similar to the BBC in the UK, the Norwegian Broadcasting Company (NRK) and Norwegian News Agency (NTB) typically cover royal occasions such as this.  

Speaking to NRK, Reidun Kjelling Nybø from the Norwegian Editors' Association said: 'Here a key member of the Norwegian royal family is breaking what has been a long and good tradition.

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'Major events have been documented via Norwegian broad media, such as NTB and NRK, on ​​behalf of the entire press, which has passed the images on to the people and to other newsrooms that want them, including foreign ones.' 

The publication says it has been told that national media will 'have limited access' to the nuptials and 'not able to document the wedding'. 

The Royal House of Norway's head of communications Guri Varpe told NRK that members of the Royal Family will therefore avoid being photographed or filmed by Netflix and Hello! as other media outlets will not have the same access.

Norwegian media outlets have been told that they will see Martha-Louise and Durek when they greet royal fans after the wedding.

What's more,  'one or more' photos of the bride and groom with their family will reportedly be released at Hello's discretion. 

NTB news editor added: 'It is historic if we do not have that access. We have been to all major public events and celebrations and anniversaries related to the Norwegian royal house ever since King Haakon arrived in Norway in November 1905.' 

Princess Martha-Louise's first wedding to author Ari Behn in 2002 followed the Royal Family's media protocol.

However, the mother-of-three relinquished her royal role in November 2022, in a move that was dubbed 'Norway's Megxit'.

Peter Phillips is said to have caused a headache for the Royal Family when he sold the photographic rights of his wedding to Autumn Kelly to Hello! magazine for a sum thought to be £500,000 in 2008.

No sooner had the magazine appeared than Buckingham Palace let it be known that it was seen as 'a serious error of judgment'. 

The Labour MP Ian Gibson argued that the British public were shocked to see their monarch in those pages and famously said: 'She is the Queen, not a footballer's wife.' Queen Elizabeth, is said to have banned such deals as a result.

Eyebrows were raised when the Princess first began dating Verrett, who holds some controversial and pseudoscientific views, including that cancer in children can be caused by 'being unhappy'.

In an interview with the BBC earlier this year, Martha-Louise praised her parents, King Harald an Queen Sonja, for keeping the dialogue open while she made her decision and they worked out the details about how the arrangements would work. 

When asked about her decision in comparison with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who also stepped down as senior royals, she spoke about her 'amazing' family, including King Harald and Queen Sonja, and how the dialogue between them has always remained open.

The Princess said she decided she wanted to 'earn my own money' which she could only do by giving up her 'money from the state' and paying taxes for the first time in her life.

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'. 

She added that, in Norway, spiritual beliefs like the ones she holds are 'taboo'.

Her comments echoed an interview she gave on Swedish TV in March, in which she claimed she had 'received the most criticism of anyone in Norway' for her beliefs. 

As she sat down with Anna Hedenmo on Min Sanning - which translates to My Truth - the royal said she felt she needed to step back because of public image.

She said: 'I am probably the one in Norway who has received the most criticism of all, I think.' 

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Elsewhere in the television special, the mother touched on how her ex-husband Ari Behn - who took his own life in December 2019 - handled being in the spotlight.

Following their wedding in 2002, the royal said the father of her three children - who made a name for himself as an author -said he didn't receive good reviews of his work.

She added: 'His mental health depended a lot on him getting criticism in the media.

'But I am not saying it was anyone's fault. It is always how you handle criticism. The press took self-criticism after he died, that they were perhaps a little harsh towards him, and that he only received criticism and was actually a very nice person.'

In June 2022, the newly-engaged couple appeared in a video together on Durek's Instagram account where the American spiritual guide - whose celebrity clients have included Gwyneth Paltrow, Nina Dobrev and James Van Der Beek - hit back at online trolling they've faced.

He said: 'One, they don't want to see a black man in the Royal Family because there's never been one in the history of the European royal family.

'Second, she's a female - it's different when a royal prince chooses a woman of colour because it's like, "oh he's a man, he can choose whoever he wants".

'But for a princess to choose a man of colour, has never been done in history. So it's really though for a lot of people to be able to handle that.'