PRINCESS MARTHA LOUISE OF NORWAY AND DUREK VERRETT

AN INTIMATE AND REVEALING INTERVIEW AHEAD OF THEIR ROYAL WEDDING PRINCESS MARTHA LOUISE OF NORWAY AND DUREK VERRETT - OPEN UP TO HELLO! ABOUT THEIR UNIQUE MEETING, THE SWEETLY FORMAL PROPOSAL, AND HOW THEIR BIG DAY WILL BRING THIS MAGICAL ROYAL LOVE STORY FULL CIRCLE

- SALLY MORGAN

It is perhaps the most extraordinary love match a European royal family has ever experienced.

This week, in a spectacular three-day celebration culminating in a wedding ceremony against a breathtaking backdrop of mountains, fjords and waterfalls, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway will marry Durek Verrett, the charismatic Californian spiritual healer she first encountered in unusual circumstances six years ago.

In a world exclusive, HELLO! and HOLA! will be there to cover this unique occasion as members of the Norwegian royal family and their 350 guests gather in Geiranger on the west coast of Norway to witness their special union.

“We’re very excited,” Princess Märtha, fourth in line to the throne as the daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja, tells us as we catch up with them for a photo shoot at Villa Munch at the Ramme Fjordhotell – artist Edvard Munch’s summerhouse near Oslo – ahead of the festivities.

“It feels amazing to be marrying Durek and I’m so happy the day is almost here. The surroundings where we’ll marry are gorgeous – it’s one of the most beautiful places I know.

“Even if there are a few glitches, we can still gaze at the stunning scenery,” she laughs.

Pausing to reflect, the 52-year-old mum of three, who was married to the late author Ari Behn – father of their daughters Maud, 21, Leah, 19, and Emma, 16 – for 15 years, before their divorce in 2017, continues: “I had decided not to get married again. But after meeting Durek in 2018, I changed my mind.”

Her bright blue eyes light up as her fiancé – a whirlwind of emotion and energy in stripy trousers and a multi-coloured denim jacket that reflects his expressive personality – breezes in and kisses her hand.

“I’ve been practising my vows,” he tells us proudly, although his bride-to-be admits with a wry smile: “I haven’t done mine yet.”

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