Dancing merrily down the aisle to a gospel choir singing Stevie Wonder's "As," the father-of-the bride looked elated.
"Well, this is a surprise!" I thought, smiling as the 87-year-old groover, using his walking stick to steady his moves, shimmied past within touching distance of me and the 350 guests who had flown in from all over the world for his daughter's nuptials.
Of all the weddings I have ever attended, this uplifting scene was a first: for not only was this a royal wedding, where formal protocol would usually prohibit such unbridled spontaneity, the ecstatic father was King Harald V of Norway.
When I heard this week that he'd sadly passed away at the age of 89, this joyful scenario replayed in my mind.
I had been fortunate to attend a royal wedding before, but this one, on 31 August 2024, which I was covering for a HELLO! and HOLA! world exclusive, was truly extraordinary.
King Harald's daughter Princess Märtha Louise and her husband, Californian Shaman Durek Verrett, had just exchanged vows against the breathtaking backdrop of majestic mountains, deep blue Norwegian fjords and cascading waterfalls in western Norway, when the King wowed us all with his rhythm.
Jigging joyfully behind him, were his wife Queen Sonja in traditional Norwegian costume, son then-Crown Prince Haakon and his wife then-Crown Princess Mette-Marit – who beamed at me as she passed - and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.
Their happiness was contagious.
© Maja MoanEvery guest, who included a "Hollywood" contingent such as actress and model, Cynthia Bailey, and The Real Housewives of New York star Sonja Morgan, stood up from their seats, clapped and swayed.
That light-hearted moment was thanks to King Harald, and I'm sure, like me, that everyone will remember him for being a bit of a mover and shaker.
Leading the occasion with love, it felt as if he was the King of our hearts that day – but looking back on his life, I realised he had already that long before.
Only five months before Märtha's wedding, he was fitted with a pacemaker due to a low heart rate. He had also been plagued by health problems since 2003 when he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, and spent 10 days at the National Hospital in Oslo with a blood infection before his death at 6.35am on 28 August – poignantly, three days before Princess Märtha and Durek’s second anniversary, and the day before his own 58th wedding anniversary.
© HELLO!The controversy surrounding the relationship between Märtha and Durek – a shaman from California – would not have been unfamiliar to Harald: his own father, King Olav V of Norway, initially opposed his union with the then Sonja Haraldsen, because she was a commoner.
The couple's romance began in 1959 after he invited her to his graduation from the Norwegian Military Academy, but were compelled to keep their relationship secret for nine years due to what was considered to be an inappropriate difference in their status.
Marriage between them was, during that era, inconceivable. But Harald, in true King of hearts style, played his trump card: he reportedly vowed to his father that if he would not grant his blessing to marry Sonja, he would indeed fulfill his duty to become king – but would remain single for the rest of his life with no heir.
In an unprecedented move that changed the Norwegian monarchy, Harald and Sonja were married on 29 August 1968 at Oslo Cathedral. Their love story was retold for TV in The Commoner, which was fittingly released last year on Valentine's Day.
King Harald would no doubt have recalled his own determination to marry the woman he loved when his daughter, Märtha - a mother-of-three who had separated from her first husband, the late Ari Behn, in 2016 – began a relationship with Durek Verrett, a Californian shaman and spiritual healer.
Despite the opposition to the match – and hateful racism – directed at Durek from some quarters, the couple, like the King before them, remained determined in their love.
Most important of all, the King and Queen warmly welcomed the man their daughter described as her "twin flame".
© HELLO!"Märtha's family has been very supportive and loving," Durek, 51, told me in Oslo when I flew out to meet him and Märtha ahead of their wedding.
"I always feel safe and can talk to them about anything. I can't discuss our private conversations, but she has a very wise father and mother. And my future brother-in-law [Haakon] has spoken of how it's a privilege to have me in their family, which is really touching."
His exuberant descriptions of celebrations with the Norwegian royal family demonstrated exactly how much they've grown to adore him, too.
"I love Christmas and would receive beautiful pocket squares and cardigans from the family," he recalled. "But then, as a surprise, Märtha organised a treasure hunt of gifts from them all to me. She decided that I needed to learn how to ski, which is a Norwegian thing, and every gift I opened was a piece of ski equipment.
© CORNELIUS POPPE/NTB/POOL/AFP via Getty Images"I'd never been skiing and didn't want to, so it was like the Grinch had stolen Christmas from me," he laughed.
Märtha, who as well as skiing enjoys adventurous sports and hiking steep mountains for hours with her mother Sonja, smiled and added: "But he learnt to ski and loved it.
"My family and I like to push the boundaries. We took him on a rib boat, skimming the water at 55 knots. He didn't want to do it, but it was the most amazing experience, with waterfalls cascading down the mountainsides. Afterwards he asked: 'When can we do that again, it was amazing!'"
Durek also recalled recalled how he had been dating Märtha for three years when, in June 2022, he asked her to marry him – but not before plucking up to courage to ask for her father's blessing.
"The King and Queen asked me questions about myself and the future, and went quiet for a bit. I was sweating as I waited for their response – and then they turned to me and said they'd love to have me as part of the family."
With a smile, Märtha, now 54, added: "At my age, I could choose for myself. But my parents had to wait nine years before they could wed and always told me they wanted me to marry whoever I wanted."
© HELLO!Their wedding, a three-day extravaganza, was unique, not just because of its awesome location, but because of the love that was in the air around us.
The day before the nuptials we embarked on a cruise of the Geiranger Fjord, past mountains and the romantics Seven Sisters waterfalls that face the aptly-named waterfall known as the Suitor.
Then, as we glided through the water around a cove, there was surprise in store: the royal yacht, with the Norwegian flag flying in the breeze, was moored waiting for us. As we drew near, it sounded it kept sounding its horn in a nautical salute as two people on deck waved to us: the King and Queen of Norway.
There were squeals of excitement around me, particularly from the American guests, as we clamoured to capture this snapshot of the royal couple, dressed in warm casual attire, the King standing with his crutches, greeting us.
I was as starstruck as the rest of them, to see how the King had welcomed us with so much warmth.
© HELLO!Later, guests put on their dancing shoes to salsa the night away at a Latin American themed pre-wedding party, joined by the King and Queen.
It was so touching to watch as Harald gave his future son-in-law a hug. Then, Märtha brought a glass of champagne to toast him, and taking his face in her hands, smiled.
After the wedding ceremony next day, there were hugs all-round as Harald affectionately embraced his new son-in-law again.
Although the reception was a private affair, Durek shared with me later some of the words in his speech.
"I thanked her mum and dad for bringing her into this world, and her family for being so open to me, and that whenever we have problems they listen and that gives us the ability to be close to them."
"Love conquers all," Märtha told me, referring to how they overcame their challenges along the way.
I'm certain that King Harald would agree.
