Durek Verrett

Durek Verrett (born Derek David Verrett; November 17, 1974) is an American self-professed shaman practicing neoshamanism who, since 2024, has been married to Princess Märtha Louise of Norway. He has been widely described by Norwegian media as a con man and conspiracy theorist. Verrett promotes New Age–influenced practices and his claims have been widely criticized as pseudoscientific, including that children get cancer because they want it, that chemotherapy is ineffective and financially motivated, and that casual sex attracts subterranean spirits. He identifies as a reptilian, regards 5G technology as a conspiracy, and claims to have known about the September 11 attacks two years before they happened, but chose not to intervene. Verrett's relationship with the princess and his statements have drawn widespread criticism in Norway, such that she relinquished her royal duties to separate their commercial activities from the monarchy. Although Verrett is a member by marriage of the Norwegian royal family, he is not royal and holds no title. Controversies surrounding Märtha Louise and Verrett, along with the Marius Borg Høiby affair, have been linked to a significant decline in public support for the Norwegian monarchy.