Royal bride on ‘hysterical’ moment that delayed her wedding

Princess Märtha Louise has revealed why she was an hour late to her wedding, leaving her husband Durek Verrett standing in front of their guests with no idea where his bride was.
The Norwegian royal married the American shaman on August 31 at the historic Hotel Union in Geiranger.
The three-day wedding extravaganza was attended by royals from Norway and Sweden and guests from across the world and held in the picturesque fjords region.
Watch the video above.
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But the morning of the wedding came with a number of unexpected challenges, leaving the bride “hysterical”.
“It was a very chaotic morning for me,” Princess Märtha Louise explained on the podcast HeartSmart Conversations.
After breakfast with her seven bridesmaids – the “calmest part” of the day – Märtha and her bridal party returned to their suite for hair and makeup only for all hell to break loose.
“My dress was very long, with a long trail and they hadn’t steamed it properly so it was from one room to another with a steamer, nobody could walk past, and I needed to go into my room but I couldn’t [move],” she explained, making exasperated sounds.
“And we were getting so late and suddenly there were so many things happening and in the end I was like, ‘I have to go down’ because were were much too late,” she said.
Then, Märtha realised she couldn’t find the wedding rings.
“I couldn’t find the rings and I was like [makes screaming noises], ‘The rings are gone, has anyone seen the rings?’
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“I got hysterical with the rings and I was like, ‘I am sure Durek has them’. I called you but you didn’t pick up. I called you again and finally [you said], ‘Yes, I have them’. Oh god, I should have known. You should have told me.”
Verrett, who also featured on the podcast, said: “Martha’s room was chaotic, everyone was screaming”.
“The groomsmen [in our separate suite], we were all getting massages, meditating, manifesting, we were chilling and relaxing,” he said, laughing.
“You said I wasn’t allowed to be in the room, [mimicking Märtha] ‘You’re not supposed to be here, get your stuff and get out of this room. Get your bag and get out now!'”
Verrett said when he returned to the room hours later it looked like “a tornado” had torn through.
But the dress and ring dramas weren’t the end of the bride’s hectic morning.
When Märtha was eventually ready to be driven to the ceremony, her car was blocked from picking her up by the motorcade taking the King and Queen – her parents – and the Crown Prince family to the same location.
“The car was stuck [and they said] they won’t let any cars out so I said, ‘Yeah, but it’s my wedding, I need to get to my wedding, this is ridiculous.’
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“And that is why it took so long, there was no car to come and pick me up.”
Verrett added: “I was standing there for an hour, wondering, ‘Where’s my beautiful bride?'”
Märtha said the wait was worth it though and she said to Verrett, “Having you at the end of the aisle was just wonderful.
“I really had to control myself not to do an ugly cry.”
The bride and groom also spoke about the controversy surrounding the wedding, including the negativity that was directed at them.
Princess Märtha Louise, 53, is the daughter of Norway’s King Harald V and Queen Sonja and her brother is Crown Prince Haakon, 51.
Princess Märtha is currently fourth in line to the throne.
In the lead up, many in Norway viewed the spectacle with apprehension with some believing it would have damaging repercussions on the royal family.
Days before, Norwegian broadcaster NRK published a poll showing support for the royal family had fallen for the second time this year, with many citing the relationship between Princess Märtha and Verrett as being to blame.
Märtha Louise and Verrett’s relationship has been at the centre of headlines for years, mainly because of their alternative lifestyle beliefs.
She also agreed to stop using her ‘princess’ title for her commercial endeavours after a long-running disagreement with the royal family.
Since his relationship with Märtha Louise was made public, Verrett has also faced racist attacks.
In 2022, the royal family – when announcing the changes to  Märtha Louise’s role and title – condemned the racism directed online at Verrett.
Verrett spoke about that negativity on the podcast saying: “Märtha and I have gone through so many tribulations and challenges, people saying things about me and trying to direct people’s minds that I’m some kind of a monster”.
“[At the wedding] Märtha family, and cousins, those who really don’t know me apart from what they read in the press, they came up to me and said, ‘I had no idea you are a really good person’.
“I had never had so many people say nice things about me.”
Märtha said she “had a complete breakdown” on the Thursday morning, the day before the wedding festivities began, when she met some of Verrett’s friends for the first time.
“They started talking about Durek without fear, how they really know him, [describing him as] a loving, nurturing person.”
She said it was refreshing to hear that “to compensate for all the negativity that getting thrown at us every single day”.
“That there are actually people standing up for him. That was really touching.”
They now plan to live in Norway and the US and “enjoy each other and enjoy life”, Märtha said.
Verrett added: “I am excited for all the love that Märtha and I are going to demonstrate to the world. Love is possible.”
A film crew from Netflix has been following the couple for a year, including the wedding, for a series to be aired on the streaming platform at a later date.
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