Well-wishers lined the streets of Geiranger today, ahead of the wedding of Princess Martha Louise of Norway and Shaman Durek Verrett.
A guest at the event, called Rus Olsen, shared a snap of people who’d come out to see the couple on their big day on his Instagram account.
He accompanied the image with a caption which read: ‘All the people of Geiranger came out to meet @iam_marthalouise & @shamandurek Geiranger Fjord is as breathtaking as one could not imagine! ❤️’ing Norway.’
Geiranger – a town at the head of the Geirangerfjord – has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Princess Martha Louise, 52, took to Instagram last year to reveal it would be the wedding location, describing it as ‘rich in history’.
A snap shared by one of the wedding guests ahead of the big day showed well-wishers lining the streets
She wrote: ‘We are incredibly happy to be able to celebrate our love in Geiranger’s beautiful surroundings. It means a lot to us to gather our loved ones in a place so rich in history and intense nature experiences. Geiranger is the perfect place to embrace our love.’
While the many locals lining the streets appeared to be excited about the nuptial do, some were critical of the couple, and so the arrival of the royal party was met with mixed feelings by members of this historic fishing community.
Halibut fisherman Roger Mør, 60 told MailOnline: ‘I’m not happy about the marriage of Princess Martha Louise to his American man, Durek.
‘I think he is exploiting her and the royal family.’
Carpenter Torkil Wullf, 34, said: ‘Princess Martha Louise also a fantasist.
‘It is well-known that she claims to be able to talk to angels.
‘I think is just as crazy as her shaman Durek.
‘Most Norwegian people think this is whole marriage is a disgrace.
Norwegians have shared mix views regarding the couple (pictured here on the day before their wedding)
‘The rest of the royal family are much more thoughtful about their actions.’
However this morning handyman Jon Juliebør, 46, wished the unlikely couple well.
Shortly after buying fresh fish at the Ålesund quayside, he told MailOnline: ‘I think it’s good from them.
‘Princess Martha Louise has always been eccentric.
‘She is the oldest child of King Harald but she was never going to become the monarch because she was a girl.
‘Her brother, Prince Haakon, will become king, even though he is younger than her, so I think that has affected her.’
Meanwhile, café waitress Øyvar Melsaeter, 18, claimed the wedding party – which had taken sight-seeing tour along the Geirangerfjord from Ålesund – had put this remote coastal town on the map.
She said: ‘I think it’s great that the princess came to Ålesund and is getting married in Geirganer village. The wedding has really put us on the map.
‘I don’t know too much about her shaman Durek, but I hope they will be happy together.
‘It’s all very exciting for people who live around here.’
The couple (seen the day before their wedding) have been described as ‘controversial’, due to some of their spiritual views
Martha, who describes herself as ‘spiritual’ and claims to be a clairvoyant, got into a relationship with Durek after overcoming the loss of her first husband, Ari Behn, who died by suicide in 2019.
But things have not been easy for Martha, as she was forced to leave her role as a working member of the royal family because of her fiancé’s controversial views.
Durek stated that he believed that childhood cancer is caused by unhappiness in a book he wrote.
He published ‘Spirit Hacking’ in 2019 in the US, but publishers banned it in Norway over the unsubstantial claims.
After reading a translation of the book from its original English, the publishing house said at the time they were shocked by a number of unproven statements made by Durek in the book.