Norwegian royal family pose with Princess Martha Louise after she wed American shaman
The Norwegian royal family shared a glamorous photo of the bridal party after Princess Martha Louise wed an American shaman.
The bride and groom Durek Verrett beamed while surrounded by 38 of their closest friends and family as they gathered for the celebrations in the picturesque UNESCO-listed Geiranger Fjord.
The seven bridesmaids, who wore light pink and carried matching bouquets, are standing on the groom’s side in the picture, and three flower girls sat crouched on the bride’s trail in white lacey dresses.
King Harald, who has been in fragile health the past few years, and Queen Sonja were on their daughter’s side, as were the groomsmen.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Princess marries shaman
The picture, shared on The Royal House of Norway website, was captioned: “Congratulations! Princess Martha Louise and Mr. Durek Verrett got married in Geiranger today, 31. August 2024.”
The princess, 52, met Mr Verrett, 49, in 2019 after they were introduced by a mutual friend, announcing their engagement three years later.
Their wedding celebrations began on Thursday, where members of other European royal families and celebrities descended on Saturday for the official ceremony.
Pic: NTB/Heiko Junge/via Reuters
Pic: NTB/Heiko Junge/via Reuters
Guests told media outlets that Norwegian and American artists performed at the event along with a gospel choir and a singer representing Norway’s indigenous Sami people.
“It was fantastic! It was Hollywood meets Geiranger,” Norwegian TV personality Harald Rønneberg described the colorful ceremony to public broadcaster NRK.
“It was gospel and love. We laughed, we clapped, and we were touched. It was absolutely beautiful.”
Read more: Meet the Norwegian princess marrying a shaman
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The couple sold the wedding photo rights to British celebrity magazine Hello! and the film rights to Netflix.
The deals prompted protests from Norwegian media, which said the arrangement goes against local practices.
It is the princess’s second marriage. She married author and artist Ari Behn in 2002. The couple had three daughters: Maud Angelica, 21, Leah Isadora, 19, and Emma Tallulah, 15.
Pic: NTB/Heiko Junge/via Reuters
They divorced in 2017. He died by suicide on Christmas Day 2019 following years of mental health problems and alcoholism.
The princess lost the title of “royal highness” in 2002 over public concerns she was using her constitutional role to help her start her own business. She stepped down from royal duties entirely in 2022 but has been allowed to retain her princess title.
“Super high-IQ revolutionaries” who are willing to work 80+ hours a week are being urged to join Elon Musk’s new cost-cutting department in Donald Trump’s incoming US government.
The X and Tesla owner will co-lead the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
And in a post on X, the official DOGE account put out a call to arms for people to sign up and help “dismantle government bureaucracy”.
The post said: “We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE.
“We don’t need more part-time idea generators.
“We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting.
“If that’s you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.”
Read more:
Who is in Trump’s top team?
Trump’s cabinet signals tough stance on China
Elon Musk speaking at an event held at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Pic: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
In a reply to an interested party, Mr Musk suggested the lucky applicants would be working for free.
“Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lost of enemies & compensation is zero,” the world’s richest man wrote.
“What a great deal!”
When announcing the new department, President-elect Donald Trump said Mr Musk and Mr Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies”.
Mr Musk has previously made clear his desire to see cuts to “government waste” and in a post on his X platform suggested he could axe as many as three-quarters of the more than 400 federal departments in the US, writing: “99 is enough.”
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
Read more from Sky News:
Mass displacement in Gaza – people unsure where to go
Donald Trump picks vaccine sceptic as health secretary
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.
A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP
They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP
Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.
The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.
Read more from Sky News:
Mass displacement in Gaza – people unsure where to go
Donald Trump picks vaccine sceptic as health secretary
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.
All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP
Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.
It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports7 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Environment1 year agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway