The Future King of Norway Breaks Silence on His Sister Princess Martha Louise's Controversial Netflix Documentary
Crown Prince Haakon is questioning his sister and brother-in-law's "commercial side."
Princess Märtha Louise of Norway is the latest royal to release a Netflix documentary about her break from palace life—and now Crown Prince Haakon is sharing his thoughts on his sister's new film. During a trip to Hallingdal, Norway with Crown Princess Mette-Marit, the future king opened up to the press about Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story, which chronicles the relationship and wedding of Märtha Louise and her now-husband, Hollywood shaman Durek Verrett.
Similar to Prince Harry, the princess stepped down as a senior working royal in 2022, making an agreement with her family that she and Verrett would separate any commercial activities from the royal house. However, after the release of Rebel Royals, that agreement has come into question.
Speaking to reporters about the documentary—which he said he's watched—Crown Prince Haakon said (per Se og Hør), "I think I should refrain from judging it, but I don't think it distinguishes well enough, unfortunately, between the royal house's activities and the project and the commercial side of Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett's activities."
Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett have released a new Netflix documentary about their relationship.
The original statement read, "The Princess and her fiancé, Durek Verrett, are seeking to distinguish more clearly between their activities and the Royal House of Norway. This means, among other things, that they will not employ the title of Princess or refer to members of the Royal House in their social media channels, in media productions or in connection with other commercial activities."
Per Se og Hør, the crown prince said that the royal family is looking for "a clearer distinction" between his sister's business activities following the release of the Netflix show, and hopes "we can achieve that a little better."
"Now they have issued a statement saying that they are concerned about the integrity of the agreement that we have from 2022, so there is something to build on," Crown Prince Haakon continued. Hello! reported that while the royal family did not agree to take part in the documentary, a scene featuring the crown prince was later deleted from Rebel Royals per a request from the royal house.
Princess Märtha Louise (far right) and Crown Prince Haakon (second from right) celebrated their parents' 80th birthdays together in 2017.
Although there might be family disagreements about the documentary, Crown Prince Haakon added, "I've noticed that many people have said a lot of nice things about the royal couple afterwards, so I think it's nice that they get support."
Princess Märtha Louise confirmed her relationship with Verrett in 2019, and members of the royal family joined the couple for their wedding, held in Norway in 2024. In the the new documentary, Verrett said, "Marrying into the royal family, it's just very, very surreal."
"When I met the queen and king, they were just staring at me," he added, explaining that his now-wife hadn't prepared him for the meeting other than to tell him to relax and be himself.
