Princess Märtha Louise of Norway has given a controversial interview to Swedish television in which she talks about the death of her ex-husband, and plans for a royal comeback.
In a major interview with to show ‘Min sanning’ which translates as ‘My truth’, the Princess opens up on hopes that she can make a “comeback” and represent the royal house again. In November last year, it was announced that Märtha Louise would no longer represent The Royal Family after several of the organisations she was a patron of ended their cooperation.
At the time, this was reported to have occurred because of controversial views held by the princess and her fiancé, Durek Verrett. Among other things, Verrett has received a lot of attention for a medallion he is selling, which he claims helped him recover from coronavirus. In the interview, Princess Märtha Louise says that she believes that her fiancé’s statements were being taken out of context.
She answers on questions regarding a comeback: “Yes, if I get the opportunity, I will say yes to it.”
The princess believes that she had to quit, not because of anything she herself has done, but because of things her fiancé Durek Verrett has said, or because of the way he is perceived. She questioned in the interview whether the conclusion would have been reached if she was a man. Princess Märtha Louise also says that Verrett has been met with racism, and that she now sees Norway in a totally new way.
The Princess said: “It feels a bit difficult at a time when women’s rights are so strong, and we women are on the “equal line”, as it were, as men. But do we really do that? Would it have been the same if I had been a man? I don’t think so.”
Princess Märtha Louise has reacted several times to the press and what she believes is a hunt for headlines and clicks. Princess Märtha Louise further states: “ I am probably the one in Norway who has received the most criticism of all, I think”.
Princess Märtha Louise’s ex husband, writer and artist Ari Behn, took his own life on Christmas Day 2019.
Mr Behn was married to the Princess from 2002 to 2017, with Princess Märtha Louise saying in the SVT program that the person who she chooses to be in a relationship with always gets criticised.
She claims that the press attention harmed Behn, who received praise for his debut book in 1999, but that he “never again received good criticism” of either books or art when he was married to her.
On the question whether the press is responsible for his death, the Princess said: “They said so themselves. 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. They never said that when he was with me. Then he was just a peacock and arrogant for them.”
Norwegian press has been in contact with the Princess’s manager, Carina Scheele Carlsen, who states that she does not wish to comment on the matter beyond the TV interview. The communications manager at the Norwegian Royal Court states that the Royal Family does not want to comment on the interview.
