The Rebels Marthä and Durek
Princess Märtha Louise and her husband Durek Verrett present themselves as fighters for love, freedom, and the right to self-identify. Yet behind an apparently dignified cause lies a narrative of victimhood, controversy, and repeated breaches of royal agreements – something that casts a shadow on more people than just themselves
September 21, 2025 | SOCIETY
Image by AI/S&P
Märtha and Durek claim they are fighting for everyone’s right to be themselves and to live life as they wish. Around them, they have gathered an entourage that identifies with being different. This may include LGBTQ+, spiritualism, or even a sense of deviant biological origin – in this context meaning royal “blue blood” or being a human–lizard hybrid. For it is not only Märtha who carries royal blood; Durek claims to have been a pharaoh in a previous life. And when it comes to the lizard connection, Durek is, allegedly, in good company. Conspiracy theorist David Icke has long argued that powerful families are hybrids of humans and reptiles.
The Netflix documentary Royal Rebels provides a disturbing glimpse into Märtha and Durek’s mindset. While it presents a charming story about love and the right to self-identification, the narrative of victimhood reverberates like an echo over the wedding location Geiranger, across Norway, and throughout the World. Märtha and Durek portray themselves as chosen individuals persecuted by the ignorant and narrow-minded – whether it be the press, Norwegians in general, or the King and Queen of Norway.
For many Norwegians, the Royal Family is part of the national identity, and many of us can also relate to the King and Queen as parents in the situation they face with Märtha and Durek. Daughter and son-in-law are not only disrespectful toward the monarchy, but also toward Queen Sonja and King Harald personally. For even though the larger part of Norwegians, whatever Märtha and Durek claim, are open and unprejudiced, there is a clear expectation that everyone – regardless of how they identify – must show respect for others.
It is important to note that there exists an official agreement between Märtha and the Royal Court stating that she must not use her royal title or connection commercially. Yet, time and again, she has broken this agreement, choosing instead to profit from her status as the King and Queen’s daughter. The King and Queen, however, cannot publicly respond to either Durek’s accusations of racism and rejection, or to the repeated breaches of this agreement by their daughter, due to protocol.
Whatever one may think of the monarchy, the King and Queen can take comfort in the fact that their lifelong service stands as testimony to their open-mindedness, inclusivity, and role as bridge-builders for the Norwegian people.
It is also on its place to mention Märtha’s late ex-husband, Ari Behn, who is spoken of negatively in the documentary without any chance to defend himself. This is disrespectful both to his legacy and to his family. Ari’s mother, Marianne Behn, has said after watching the film that it is wrong to label Ari as mentally ill. She added that he no longer struggled with the media press, contrary to what Märtha claims was the cause of his suicide. She also pointed out that suicide is, statistically speaking, often spontaneous, frequently triggered by a sense of exclusion.
This takes us back to Christmas Day 2019, when Durek first appeared publicly with the Royal Family at Holmenkollen Chapel. As Märtha’s new boyfriend, he was allowed to participate surprisingly early. During the service, he held his arms around Ari’s daughters in full public view. For Ari, this must have been extremely difficult to witness if seen live on television. Only hours later came the news that Ari had taken his own life.
This moment may have been the trigger for Ari’s suicide. It is a stark reminder that society must dare to confront the most difficult subjects: the painful consequences of divorce, grief, and loneliness – even when suicide may arise as a direct result of the actions of others.
Rest in peace, Ari <3