Durek Verrett has opened up about being welcomed into the Norwegian royal family - and how his future in-laws are very thoughtful when it comes to gifts.
Ahead of his wedding to King Harald and Queen Sonja's daughter Martha Louise, which will be covered exclusively in HELLO! and HOLA!, Durek – the charismatic Californian spiritual healer – reflected on his Christmases with his fiancée and her loved ones.
"I love Christmas and would receive beautiful pocket squares and cardigans from the family," he told HELLO!. "But then, as a surprise, Martha organized 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."
"I'd never been skiing and didn't want to, so it was like the ski Grinch had stolen Christmas from me," he laughed.
Martha, who as well as skiing enjoys adventurous sports and hiking steep mountains for hours with her mother Sonja, told us: "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 added: "I'm like the shy kid at school who's afraid to climb trees! She persuades me and then I do it and love it. That’s our personalities in a nutshell."
Martha's parents were warm and welcoming to Durek from the start, and he has been treated as a much-loved member of the family.
They had been together for three years when, in June 2022, he asked her to marry him – but not before seeking her parents' blessing first."I have old school views on courtship, and asking for Martha's hand in marriage was about respect," explained Durek.
"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, Martha said: "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."
The couple are tying the knot in a spectacular three-day celebration culminating in a wedding ceremony, which will take place on Saturday.
In a world exclusive, HELLO! and HOLA! will be there to cover this unique occasion as members of the Norwegian royal family and their 350 guests gather in Geiranger on the west coast of Norway, to witness the special union.
Norway's royal wedding will be exclusively covered by HELLO! magazine. Check back on the website and pick up the most recent issues of HELLO! for all the latest news and photos.
To read the full exclusive interview with Martha Louise and Durek, 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.
