Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story is a Netflix docu-series unlike any royal documentary you've ever seen before. It doesn't tiptoe softly into the polished corridors and castles of monarchy. Still, it takes a deep dive straight into the chaotic life of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Hollywood shaman Durek Verrett's romance.
The ending? Their 2024 wedding in Geirangerfjord, complete with spirit-guided dates, exclusive photo deals, and a very public break from the royal title. The finale locks in what Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story builds toward: Märtha and Durek marrying in defiance of protocol and in total embrace of who they are.
Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story – A romance that broke every royal rule
Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story reminds viewers that Märtha Louise had long flirted with life that she found outside of her posh palace walls. Years before Durek came into the picture, she was running her "angel school," claiming she could talk to spirits. Enter Durek Verrett - the flamboyant black man, based in Los Angeles, and a shock to Norway's reserved society.

The Netflix documentary talks about their first big reveal: An Instagram announcement nobody in the palace saw coming. That one post turned the press into a full-blown circus. Tabloid headlines talked about Durek being a fraud, a manipulator, even a danger to the monarchy. One royal expert on camera calls him "maybe a scam artist," a label that hangs in the air but never gets properly investigated.
Yet what gives the story its true punch are the softer moments. Durek talks openly about facing racist abuse the minute he landed in Norway. He remembers a dinner where someone bluntly asked how it felt knowing portraits of slave owners surrounded him in the royal palace. Märtha Louise also shares her grief over ex-husband Ari Behn's death, explaining how press harassment has haunted her entire adult life.
It's these pressures, not just love, that push Märtha to step back officially from royal duties in 2022. By the time the cameras roll into wedding preparations for the two of them, the two are no longer just lovers; they're outsiders standing their ground firm together.
Spiritual soulmates or PR spectacle?
If there's one thing Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story doesn't look away from, it's Durek's eccentric brand of spirituality. He calls himself "soul-sexual," declaring;
"I fall in love with the soul of a person."

He leads energy-breathing sessions, rings bells to chase away bad spirits, and even jokes on camera that he has "a little boy, a woman, and a diva" all living inside him. His sister recalls how he used to call crows as a child - and yes, the crows would actually come.
Märtha, far from rolling her eyes, seems completely in tune with him. Their bond is painted as cosmic. Durek says that when he saw her wearing a raven T-shirt, he flashed to a past life in Egypt where she stood beside him on a throne. Märtha laughs, but doesn't dismiss his thought process.
The press, of course, saw it differently. They latched onto his book Spirit Hacking, his claims about medallions curing illness, and old interviews where he described himself as part reptilian. They treated these as red flags. The couple, on the other hand, insists it's proof of authenticity.
"They don't want a bisexual Black man marrying their princess..."
Durek says directly into the camera, making it impossible to ignore the racial undertones.
This very concept of this mystical love story and the media circus that comes along with it is what gives Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story its edge.
Director Rebecca Chaiklin, best known for Tiger King, frames Durek as both the spectacle and the villain in Norway's tabloids. At times, he plays into it, strutting in wild outfits and planning an extravagant wedding, but it's clear the couple truly believes in their spiritual connection.
Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story: The wedding that sealed the story
The finale of Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story ties together every thread with their marriage in August 2024. What's fun to note is that instead of taxpayers funding it, the couple struck a deal with HELLO! magazine for exclusive photos. That decision alone made waves in Norway, where royals aren't usually seen cashing in on their ceremonies.

Then there was the date itself. Durek explains they didn't just pick it randomly; they asked the spirit world and landed on August 31, when Virgo and Scorpio aligned with Venus. Cameras show them meditating in silence, sealing their wedding date as if signed by the universe.
On the big day, they wed in Geiranger, a fjord steeped in Viking history. Durek, never subtle, even ducked under a sheet at one point to avoid paparazzi snapping his outfit too early. Märtha stood by him as her entire family, including King Harald and Queen Sonja, looked on. The fact that Norway's monarchs attended spoke volumes - they may not embrace his flamboyance, but they recognized the marriage.
Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story makes it clear that the ceremony solidifies everything the couple fought for: Freedom from rigid tradition, a marriage on their terms, and a love that survived racism, tabloid storms, and royal disapproval. The story ends not in compromise, but in spectacle and glam.
The ending of Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story is more than a wedding, but it's a declaration. Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett marry not as a princess and a shaman, but as two people who chose each other despite scandal, scrutiny, and centuries of tradition.
For some, it will always look like a PR stunt. For others, it's a love story written in defiance.
Either way, the closing chapter leaves no doubt: this was one royal romance that refused to play by the rules.
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