- Princess Märtha Louise of Norway said she broke
royal tradition by earning her own money. - Appearing on "Zoom O'Clock," she said her
spirituality led her to her successfulbusiness .
Princess Märtha Louise of Norway said a spiritual experience led her to break royal tradition by starting a business and earning her own money.
The 50-year-old princess appeared on the "Zoom O'Clock" podcast on January 10 and spoke about her belief in guardian angels. She opened up to podcast host Tessy Antony de Nassau, a 36-year-old former princess who married Prince Louis of Luxembourg in 2006 and was stripped of her title after they divorced in 2019, Mail Online reported.
"I also have always seen energies and therefore came in touch with my guardian angel," Märtha Louise told de Nassau, adding that she was on a national showjumping team in the Netherlands at the time. Royal Central reports that she was on the team for several years until she retired in 2000.
Märtha Louise told de Nassau she was doing a mindfulness exercise when the room "became full of the smell of roses" and she felt a "very loving presence" that she likened to meeting an old friend. She added that the experience built a lasting connection with what she believes is her guardian angel, and encouraged her to listen to her "inner calling."
"That led me to all the entrepreneurship. It led me to being a princess in a different way and not just the traditional way," she said, adding that she broke tradition by "daring to start a business" and earn her own money, which she said was not allowed to do before.
Märtha Louise gave up royal duties as well as her HRH title in 2002 in order to work as a private citizen, and People reported in August 2019 that she had also decided to give up using her "princess" title in any of her business activities after discussions with her family.
Märtha Louise founded a spiritual school with business partner Elisabeth Nordeng in 2007, which People reported in 2019 has since closed.
The royal is a mother to three children, Maud Angelica, 18, Leah Isadora, 16, and Emma Tallulah, 13, who she had with her ex-husband Ari Behn, before they divorced in 2017, according to the Norwegian Royal Family's website. Earlier in the podcast episode, Märtha Louise said she entered a "valley of sorrow" after her husband's death by suicide in 2019.
On May 12, 2019, the royal announced her relationship with an LA-based shaman, Durek Verret. Märtha Louise posted a photo of her and Verrett on Instagram at the time and called him her "twin flame." According to Vanity Fair, the couple now conducts spiritual work on clients together.
Speaking to de Nassau, Märtha Louise said her spiritual education courses receive criticism from the church "because it was the devil's work," and from psychologists for being "scary" and "dangerous."
"All these things led to a lot of criticism but also a lot of joy because I could finally be myself and I could stand in being a spiritual human being," she told the podcast host. "It has been very shameful and it has been conflicted with going mad, to have these abilities."
Representatives for Märtha Louise declined Insider's request for comment.