The Princess and the Shaman and the Royal House of Norway

We also have a Patreon where you can support the show, get episode scripts, and get access to exclusive seasonal stickers. So if you're at a certain level on the Patreon, every season we send a new, exclusive designed sticker just for patrons. Other bits of housekeeping, let's see, oh, I wrote a book called Immortality, a love Story that comes out in February. Pre Orders are so important, so if you're interested and want to pre order, that would be

a huge help to me. It's the sequel to my last book, Anatomy, A Love Story, so you should probably read that one first. You should read both. I think I think you'll like them a lot. This one, though, the sequel, has a big Noble Blood Connection, and I don't want to spoil it, but if you like this podcast, I think the book will be right up your alley. Oh and finally, I'm leading in August. I'm helping to lead a pilgrimage in Cornwall to talk about the novel

Rebecca and Daphne Demurier. I did one of these last year about Mary Shelley and Frankenstein, and it was just incredible. You stay in this beautiful house and you're just talking about books and going on walks and writing and getting in touch with their creative spirit. I just think they're incredible experiences. It's called common Ground, the company that runs them. Google Dani Schwartz, common Ground Rebecca, and it will come up. It's in August and we're going to Cornwall. The place

is absolutely beautiful. If that's something that interest to you, you should absolutely look it up and enjoy the podcast. As a member of the generation that grew up with clickbait articles, it's become alarmingly easy to find myself just glossing over the majority of absurd, often misleading headlines that passed through my Twitter feed on a daily basis. It makes sense that in a culture where clicks equal dollars.

The methods used to entice readers have become increasingly ridiculous, bordering on desperate, in order to grab our limited attention. Think about out of context celebrity misquotes designed to anger niche corners of the Internet, or the alarmist headlines about the inevitable end of the world being caused by well

any number of things. Considering the onslaught of our daily media diet, it makes sense that we've con shtioned ourselves to be able to tune out the perpetual barrage of insanity we find ourselves doomed scrolling through our phones every day. But even with all that in mind, truly nothing could have prepared me for the November tenth headline tweeted out by The New York Times, a headline in which every

clause of the sentence becomes more and more enthralling. Princess Martha Louise of Norway, who has long claimed to be clairvoyant, has quit her royal duties over public criticism of her fiance, an American celebrity shaman who sells a two hundred and twenty two dollar heeling amulet and has suggested cancer is a choice. We rarely do episodes of this podcast that focus on modern royals, but in this particular case, I

couldn't get the story out of my head. The headline itself reads more like a Stefn Club from SNL than it doesn't actual piece of journalism, with as many outlandish scraps of gossip haphazardly crammed into a meager two character limit as humanly possible, But incredibly, the clairvoyant princess and her fiance's two twenty two dollar healing amulets are really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to

this story. Even beyond the Times article, researching Princess Martha's life with her fiance, Dorik Verrett is like opening a Pandora's box of increasingly unbelievable snippets of information. Highlights range from the princess's self proclaimed shaman fiance stating in a social media post that he is quote a hybrid species of reptilian and andromeda end quote, to a moment as recent as June nine of this year, when the couple went on Instagram live and five minutes in Verett casually

mentions his past life as an Egyptian Pharaoh. The Royal House of Norway's official statement claims the withdrawal of the princess from her official royal duties is quote intended to draw a dividing line that more clearly separates commercial activity

from the Royal House of Norway and quote. But with publications waiving their metaphorical pitchforks at her fiance's controversial medical opinions, it's enough to make anyone wonder whether quote commercial activity is all that the Crown is wishing to separate itself from.

I'm Dana Schwartz and this is noble blood. As I mentioned earlier, if you're a regular listener of this podcast, you've probably realized I rarely cover modern royals, if only for the fact that I consider this, first and foremost a history podcast meant to contextualize the lives of royals as real life figures within the rigid institutions that they

were born or otherwise brought into. Adding fuel to the tabloid inferno of modern royals has never been my aim with this show, especially since, as I previously mentioned, these are real life people who I assume are similarly just trying to navigate their lives to the best of their abilities.

But in the case of Princess Martha Louise's withdrawal from her royal duties, I feel that her relationship with her fiance in connection to her royal title, as well as the Norwegian crowns response to their engagement as a whole, warrants at least a noble blood minisod, which brings me

to my second disclaimer. Obviously, everyone is allowed to believe in whatever they want to believe in as long as those beliefs aren't causing harm to others, then it's really no one's business how someone decides to live their life.

But when someone with a significant platform and ties to the Norwegian royal family begins spouting that they refused prescribed medical treatment for COVID nineteen in favor of their two d and twenty two dollar healing amulet, which they claimed to use to quote get the poisons out of their system and quote, then suddenly one person's beliefs aren't so innocuous, and again, the connection to a royal family adds legitimacy

stature to those beliefs and statements. All this is to say, while I personally don't believe in the types of spirits or angels that Princess Martha and her fiance Derick Verrett claim to be beholden to. I think the criticism I may have toward the couple is less to do with their specific spiritual beliefs and more to do how their beliefs have harmed vulnerable communities. All Right, with that out

of the way, let's get into it. Long before her name was ever scattered across tabloid headlines, Princess Martha Louise was the first child of the then Crown Prince Harald the fifth and Crown Princess Sonja, born on September twenty two, seventy one. Like most reigning royal families today, the Norwegian monarchy is largely a symbolic institution, having established a constitutional monarchy following the end of the Napoleonic Wars in eighteen fourteen.

From a young age, the princess claims to have been what she calls highly sensitive, a trait which she believes has enabled her to sense other people's feelings. On the website for her spiritual education center, her bio goes more in depth into her sensitivity, detailing how her word with horses allowed her to quote make contact with the angels

end quote. Despite the inherent public controversy the statements brought forth, for the most part, Princess Martha's let's say, extracurricular activities were largely kept separate from her royal persona. This was predominantly due to the fact that, despite her being the firstborn child to the King and Queen at the time of her birth, the Constitution of Norway prohibited women from

inheriting the throne. This meant that in three her younger brother, the Crown Prince Hakun, became the next in line of succession, even though he was second born. It wouldn't be until nine that the constitution would be amended to allow women to inherit the throne, but with a stipulation that still kept Princess Martha behind her brother in the line of succession.

So while she may have had royal duties that require her presence for charities or social gatherings, her role within the Norwegian royal family didn't stop her from conducting her own spiritual practices outside of familial obligations, at least until two thousand eighteen, when she would be introduced to none other than the amulet wielding shaman himself, Derrick Verrett. By the time Direc and Martha met, the self identified sixth generation shaman was already well on his way making a

name for himself within Hollywood. Raised in the suburban northern Californian town of Foster City, Dirk Verett claims to have been connected to the spirits from the age of three, when he says from his crib he could quote see other beings in the room, such as ancestors and family

members that had already passed end quote. Rather than capitalizing on his spiritual connections early on, Verrett first began his career in Hollywood as a model, with sporadic appearances on television before he began cultivating his brand as a shaman, working his way up in elite Hollywood circles. By two thousand sixteen, Verett was appearing on social media alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, who described him as her quote light and shining armor.

On his website, he claims to quote demystify spirituality and quote redefine what wellness means by putting the power back in the hands of the people end quote, though exactly whose hands that power ends up in seems to depend rather heavily on the depth of their wallets. Apart from the infamous overpriced amulets, which he calls spirit optimizers, the shaman also offers a one hour private healing sessions for

the humble price of two thousand dollars. Of course, if you can't afford one of his private healing sessions, Verett encourages per rusers of his website to sign up for one of the many quote woke shops available through his online shaman School, or to pick up a copy of his book Spirit Hacking, where he goes into detail about his belief that quote the walls of a woman's uterus are literally encoded with geometric symbols which act as portals end quote, or how he talks about how his client's

shadows told him he had cancer quote because the client hated his job and felt confined in his marriage end quote. Frankly, I could go on for days with the amount of truly wild conspiracy theories that Derk Verita has released into the world, but ultimately his importance to us today only begins after his introduction to Martha Louise in two thousand eighteen,

much to the dismay of the Norwegian press. The couple quickly hit it off, so much so that in the spring of two thousand nineteen, the couple announced their first speaking tour together, which was titled The Princess and the Shaman. Now this is where things for the new couple begin to take a turn. Predictably, news and media outlets had a field day with the couple utilizing the princess's royal

title in their joint speaking engagement. After all, public engagements as a princess on behalf of the Royal House of Norway obviously means something vastly different than a seminar on spirituality with a clairvoyant princess and her shaman boyfriend. Predictably, the Crown did not comment on Martha Louisa's use of her title for her and Verett's business ventures, but their

silence could only last for so long. Following the couple's engagement this past June, on November eighth, two thousand twenty two, the Royal House of Norway finally released an official statement in which they announced Princess Martha Louise would be stepping down from all of her remaining royal duties. Quote. Princess Martha Louise and Derek Verrett are seeking to distinguish more clearly between their activities and their association with the Royal House,

the statement reads. In the statement, the Royal House also seems to finally address the Princess and the Shaman controversy, stating quote, in two thousand nineteen, the Princess decided in consultation with her family not to use the title of princess in connection with her business activity, adding for good measure, this principle will now apply to her fiance, Derrick Verrett

as well. While the Princess still remains fourth in line for the throne, behind her brother and his two children, it's clear through the Royal House of Norway's statement that they are attempting to put some space between Princess Martha

and drik Verett's beliefs. The final section of their statement is fully dedicated to their confidence in the Norwegian Health Service and Norwegian health Authorities, a structure based on established medical knowledge and scientific research carried out by skilled health personnel across the entire health service has resulted in one of the world's best health care systems for the benefit

of everyone in Norway end quote. Similarly, in a joint statement made through the Princess's Instagram following her official withdrawal from her royal duties. The couple clearly establishes their support for what they call the school of Medicine, with Veretts adding quote, I am for the school of medicine and always have been doubt dot dot. However, I do believe we should always use all available resources for health on

our planet end quote. Then again, this is the same man who suggested oncologists prescribe chemotherapy quote to make a cool million a year off the patient, assuming he lasts that long end quote. So maybe take that pr statement with a healthy metric ton of salt. In the wake of the statement made by the Royal House of Norway this fall, news outlets around the world have been all but foaming at the mouth to tell their own versions

of the story. To be fair, though, there has been a vocal contingent of the population that has been aware of and adamantly against the Princess's relationship with the shaman ever since they went public as a couple back in two thousand nineteen. Today, royal institutions are largely meant to be symbolic of their country's values. Hence why the late Queen Elizabeth the Second was seen more as a grandmother who favored her coregies than any sort of catalyst of

public change. Royals are at their strongest when they are really not people, when their symbols instead of individuals, because individuals can have opinions that are wrong. Individuals can be misguided,

they can fall in love with the wrong people. And while the Norwegian monarchy no longer has much of any say in how they govern the day to day lives of their citizens, it's clear from the royal family's decision to have Martha Louise stepped down from the remainder of her royal duties that they too wish to project a socially conservative image to the public. Though with the princess still maintaining her title at their quest of the King, only time will tell if her and her fiance's beliefs

will be able to remain separate from the crown. That was a quick minisoda on Princess Martha Louise's engagement to Derrick Verett, but stick around to hear how Verett's shamanism is reminiscent of another mystic we've covered on this podcast in articles analyzing their relationship. Verett has been called everything

from a con man to a conspiracy theorist. There are Reddit threads dedicated to his resemblance to Gregory Resputin, the Russian mystic who manipulated his way into the Romanov's inner circle with his mystical healing abilities, And if I'm being honest, the comparison, at least in my mind, doesn't seem that completely off base. If you aren't familiar with the life and legendary death of Gregory Rasputin, I highly recommend going back to our episode on him from earlier, this called

Ra Ra Rasboutine. If you have listened, you'll know the morally dubious mystic rose to power by praying off the beliefs of those, primarily the Czarina of Russia, who were desperate for some sort of higher power to heal them or, in the case of the Czarina, heal her son's hemophilia. Yes, remember when Verett went on Instagram Live to plug his spirit Optimizer as a cure for COVID same candy, different rapper.

But Resputants and Verrett's ideas may seem ridiculous to the vast majority of people, But giving credit where credit is due. There is no doubt that both problematic figures got to be as popular as they are by being charismatic and had respued and had the same access to Instagram that Derrick Verett does. I have little doubt he also would be going on multiple hour long Instagram lives a week to preach his rhetoric to the masses. Noble Blood is a production of I Heart Radio and Grimm and Mild

from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood is hosted by me Danish Sports. Additional writing and researching done by Hannah Johnston, hannah's Wick, Mirra Hayward, Courtney Sunder and Laurie Goodman. The show is produced by rema Il Kali, with supervising producer Josh Thane and executive producers Aaron Mankey, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.