Is Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story based on real events? Details explored

Netflix has dropped Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story as part of its documentary slate, offering an up-close look at a love story that has ignited public discourse in Norway. The visuals, the narratives, and the interviews all come together to create a portrait of love under pressure, love that pushes boundaries, and love that requires you to be true to yourself.

Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story not only chronicles their relationship as a fairy tale romance but also explores harsh realities such as cultural differences, spirituality, and the price of marrying outside royal traditions.

With Emmy-nominated director Rebecca Chaiklin (Tiger King) and Emmy-winning producer Chris Smith on board, Rebel Royals is shaping up to be more than a tabloid; it is an exploration of what happens when royal rules collide with personal truth.

Is Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story based on real events?

The story told in Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story is very much inspired by real-life events. Princess Märtha Louise, the daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, did in fact start dating Durek Verrett, an American spiritual healer and shaman, in 2018. The two were married in August 2024 in Geiranger, Norway, with members of the royal family present.

Märtha Louise had already started to distance herself from traditional royal duties. In 2022, she withdrew from her last official engagements to create a more distinct separation between her royal role, her personal, and her business activities. This set the stage for the relationship to go public and be the subject of Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story.

The events of Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story, from the couple’s first meeting, the family dynamics, the public outcry, and the wedding itself, are real events. What the documentary does provide is a peek behind the curtain to include spiritual beliefs, cultural tensions, controversies, and personal musings from both partners.

What Princess Märtha and Durek Verrett said about Rebel Royal: An Unlikely Love Story?

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In interviews around Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story, Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett have been quite clear about what they want the film to communicate. They say it is a tale of resilience, of staying true to who they are in the face of outside forces.

In a joint conversation with People Magazine, Durek said:

"I think it's important for us to share a story of resilience, and a story that makes people walk away with the feeling of inspiration to live their truth as they are, unapologetically. And I think that's a very important aspect that we wanted to share with the world, especially in today's world."

Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story reveals the strains of modern royalty: How public you have to be, what duty and expectation do to you, how belief systems come into conflict with tradition, and what happens when someone who doesn’t fit those definitions tries to make a new way.

Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story prompts its viewers to consider how much tradition should dictate a person’s life, and in turn, how much the inner truth of a person can shake up tradition. He addressed his identity as bis*xual, stating:

"When it comes to interracial relationships, when it comes to being a man who's marrying into her life, into her family."

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Märtha Louise has also spoken about the expectations on her, the life she was supposed to live, and how so many people thought she had fall into a royal mould. She explained her decision to have Netflix tell her story:

"I thought what a wonderful platform to be a part of, and a family to be a part of, when it comes to sharing our story of love and triumph and being able to stand in that space of adversity."

One of the more emotionally charged parts of Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story relates to how Durek experienced living by royal protocols and cultural codes. He has recounted how meeting Louise's parents meant conflict over appearances and what was appropriate, including what to wear. He added:

“They looked at me as if I were crazy when I said that racism existed.”

Durek also alleges that the King inquired about his experiences of racism only following the Oprah interview with Harry and Meghan. Rebel Royal: An Unlikely Love Story tackles controversies: The hostility Verrett has encountered as a Black, bis*xual man joining the royals, the response from the Norwegian press and public, the claims in media reports regarding his spiritual assertions, and whether the royal family responded to accusations of racism.

It also exposes personal struggles, such as Durek’s health problems and Märtha Louise’s dealing with her ex-husband’s suicide, and illustrates how the couple is forging a life together and striving to maintain their convictions.

What is Netflix's Rebel Royal: An Unlikely Love Story about?

Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story is less a typical romantic biography and more an investigation of identity, public life, spirituality, and the reconciliation of contemporary values with centuries-old royal tradition.

The documentary captures Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett as they navigate more than just the intricacies of arranging a royal wedding, picking a date via astrological/spiritual calculations (they consulted spirits to determine August 31, 2024, a date significant in terms of Venus, Virgo, and Scorpio), but also handling family, media, cultural expectations, and accusations.