Princess Märtha Louise reaffirmed her commitment to alternative medicine as she officially stepped down from royal duties on 8 November.
In the statement announcing her departure from royal duties, the Norwegian Princess said that she has been “passionate about us arriving at new knowledge about how our health works” throughout her life and how her own training as a physiotherapist has helped shape her views and knowledge.
She said in the statement: “I am grateful that we in Norway have a good health care system. I am impressed by all the knowledgeable people found in hospitals, doctor’s offices and educational institutions across the country. I myself have been helped by them many times – as most people in the country have been.”
But, she added, that “spirituality, closeness to people and animals, yoga and mediation” are areas where “the medical effect may not be as well known or documented” and that she believes “that alternative methods can be important complements to school medicine for many. A warm hand, a needle, a crystal, natural medicine, yoga, meditation or a listening conversation, I think, can help make life better for many people. Not instead of, but in addition to, the treatment provided by the health care system. As a natural consequence, some people have this as a business activity.”
The royal said that she walks a line between traditional and alternative medicine in her own life, saying, “I go to the doctor at the same time as I use acupuncture and work with energies. I go to yoga and I meditate – as many people do” and that this line of collaboration is something that she wishes to continue her in personal work.
Part of the controversy surrounding Princess Märtha Louise and her American finacé Durek Verrett is for their spiritual and medical beliefs, and the royal touched upon this in her statement, noting: “I understand that a lot of people are concerned about what I do and say. My title imposes a responsibility on me. Therefore, it is important for me, also in my business activities, that I distinguish between myself as a private person and me as a member of the royal family. Sometimes I stumble and am happy for supportive advice along the way.
“For me, it’s important to be honest with myself and with people around me about these issues. I know where I stand, and I hope that my positions will be allowed to be mine without others having to answer them. Just as I don’t want to be taken for the opinions of others.”
