An intimate moment the morning after their whirlwind three days of wedding celebrations was the perfect opportunity for newlyweds Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Durek Verrett to exchange gifts.
The sixth-generation shaman had organised a special surprise for King Harald and Queen Sonja's daughter that followed the same vein as the sentimental emerald and diamond engagement ring he gave her in June 2022, which was based on a Viking shield for protection and with a Viking knot denoting eternal love.
He turned to jeweller Joy Sangalang Smith for help bringing his design to life, and the result was a gold Viking shield imprinted with their monogram and encrusted with diamonds and rubies to reflect their wedding colours.
The bride exclusively told HELLO! that the thoughtful gift left her tearful. "It’s so beautiful that I cried. The symbolism of the shield is that it protects our love," she said.
Märtha Louise ensured her new husband also felt very loved, as she presented him with a "playful" gift that suited his character – a collection of his favourite video games. "I love it as much as she loves the necklace," Durek said.
Reflecting on their three-day wedding and their future as husband and wife, the bride said: "It’s very exciting." Looking lovingly at his wife, Durek added: "I’m so excited to be spending the rest of my life with this woman."
Spiritual connection
The couple met through a mutual friend Millana Snow in 2018, but they built a solid friendship for six months before things turned romantic.
Despite taking things slowly, they have both been open about their immediate spiritual connection. Durek even discussed having memories of his now-wife in another life, where she was his queen in Egypt and he was a pharaoh.
They nodded to this history on several occasions throughout their wedding, from their unofficial monogram stitched on Durek's gold and black tuxedo, embroidered into Märtha Louise's veil and even emblazoned on their 80kg wedding carrot cake.
Ahead of their nuptials, Märtha Louise explained the meaning behind the monogram, which was created by ANTI Hamar.
She wrote: "Honoring our past life together in Egypt, the monogram embraces the hieroglyphs and the Egyptian symbols as follows:
"M for Märtha: The hieroglyph meaning: The wise owl, a guardian of souls navigating between worlds. The owl represents the protector, guiding humans through the passage from the earthly existence to the spirit world.
"D for Durek where the hieroglyph manifests as the hand - a symbol of actions performed with grace, opening doors and dancing through life."
Wedding events
Their ceremony at Hotel Union on 31 August was the main event of the weekend of festivities, but they had been celebrating with loved ones since 29 August.
After guests such as Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Princess Sofia of Norway flew into Ålesund, they enjoyed a drinks reception at Hotel 1904 with a "sexy and cool" dress code.
Leading the way were the bride and groom, who opted for matching pink outfits from Märtha Louise's brand Hest. The bride looked radiant in a halterneck dress, a belted waist and an asymmetric train, while the groom cut a dapper figure in bubblegum trousers and a matching suit jacket.
The following day, the happy couple enjoyed a boat trip along the fjord with their guests before hitting the dancefloor for a Latin American-themed party in the evening. Martha had swapped her leather daytime look for a pale pink one-shouldered dress by Tina Steffenakk Hermansen and jewellery by Caroline Svedbom.
LOOK: Newlyweds Princess Martha Louise and Durek pose with close family and wedding party
To read the full exclusive and to see more photos from Märtha Louise and Durek's wedding reception, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK on Monday. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.