Durek Verrett, husband of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, has paid a loving tribute to his wife on their two-year wedding anniversary, just days after the death of King Harald.
© Courtesy of NetflixTwo photo montages, posted on Instagram, show various scenes from the couple's picturesque wedding in Norway in 2024, covered exclusively by HELLO!. The 51-year-old shared photographs from the ceremony itself as well as the reception afterwards, including a stunning photograph of Princess Märtha Louise in her blush-pink dress for the afterparty and a photograph of the couple cutting their towering wedding cake.
The shaman accompanied the posts with a touching message: "Love is family. Love is friendship. Love is the people who stand beside you, celebrate your joy, hold space for your becoming, and remind you that no great love exists entirely on its own.
"Two years ago, surrounded by our family and friends, we chose each other in marriage. Today, we understand even more deeply that love is not about two people becoming one. It is two people becoming more fully themselves, together.
"To everyone who has loved us, supported us, celebrated us, and walked beside us, you are part of our love story… Happy anniversary to us. Love always wins when we have the courage to choose it."
Wellwishers took to the comments to send happy anniversary messages to the couple.
Durek's words are especially poignant given the sad passing of his father-in-law King Harald of Norway at age 89 on 28 August 2026. In a statement, the Norwegian royal household said: "It is with deep sorrow that we announce that His Majesty King Harald passed away today. King Harald passed away peacefully at Rikshospitalet on Friday, August 28, at 06:35."
© AFP via Getty ImagesIn his first speech as king, Haakon VIII said he would miss his father's laugh, and thanked him "for being such a good dad to Märtha and me… a warm and funny grandfather. A loving and caring husband.
"A brother and uncle who was so loved by so many. You were the head of the family, and brought us all together with a natural authority, which you may not have been aware of yourself."
© NTB/AFP via Getty ImagesKing Harald's health struggles explained
King Harald was hospitalised on 17 August with haemolytic anaemia, a condition which causes the number of red blood cells in the body to be reduced, leading to fatigue and shortness of breath.
The palace explained that the late King had "been treated with cortisone for the blood disease hemolytic anemia in recent weeks. This has led to fluid accumulation in the body that requires treatment in hospital". The condition worsened, until senior members of the Norwegian royal family cancelled various appearances to be at his bedside.
© Getty ImagesThis is not the first time in recent years that the 89-year-old monarch was hospitalised, as he was treated for dehydration and infection in February of this year while on holiday in Tenerife with Queen Sonja.
A 'difficult time' for Princess Märtha Louise
Her second wedding anniversary is no doubt a complicated time for Princess Märtha Louise, as she now mourns for her father.
As well as her father's deteriorating health, Märtha Louise's husband Durek has also faced recent difficulty as he underwent a kidney transplant in the same hospital caring for his father-in-law King Harald.
© Instagram"First and foremost, we feel an enormous sense of gratitude toward the person who was willing to become a donor. It is difficult to put into words what such a gift means," the couple said in a statement.
"The new kidney has given Durek a second chance, and that is something we will never take for granted."
