Verrett married Princess Märtha Louise of Norway in August 2024
Credit: Rune Hellestad/Getty; Per Ole Hagen/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Shaman Durek Verrett has undergone a kidney transplant after years of dialysis treatments
- The American-born shaman married Princess Märtha Louise of Norway in August 2024
- Verrett was treated at Oslo University Hospital, where his father-in-law, King Harald, is currently receiving treatment
Another member of the Norwegian royal family has been hospitalized.
Durek Verrett, the American-born shaman who married Princess Märtha Louise of Norway in August 2024, has undergone a kidney transplant, Hello! magazine reports. Verrett and his wife are said to be “incredibly relieved and deeply grateful” for the success of the operation, which comes a year after the shaman to the stars revealed that he required dialysis several times a week due to kidney issues.
Verrett’s surgery took place at Oslo University Hospital, where his father-in-law, King Harald, remains hospitalized with his own health issues.
The Royal House of Norway announced on Monday, Aug. 17, that the King had been hospitalized due to side effects from other ongoing medical treatment. Then on Sunday, Aug. 23, the palace released a health update on the 89-year-old monarch, saying that King Harald’s “condition worsened over the weekend.”
The King remains on sick leave until further notice, with Märtha Louise’s younger brother, Crown Prince Haakon — the King’s only son and heir— currently acting as regent.
Credit: OLE BERG-RUSTEN/NTB/AFP via Getty
Hello! reports that “it’s been a difficult time for the Princess having both her father and her husband in the same hospital, but she’s very happy that Durek’s operation has been a success.”
Verrett, 51, and Märtha Louise, 54, released a statement following his surgery, saying, “First and foremost, we feel an enormous sense of gratitude toward the person who was willing to become a donor. It is difficult to put into words what such a gift means. The new kidney has given Durek a second chance, and that is something we will never take for granted.”
The Princess and her husband also thanked the healthcare professionals who have tended to the shaman, with Verrett noting, “I have received treatment in many places around the world, but I have never experienced the warmth, compassion and humanity that I have encountered among healthcare professionals in Norway in general, and at Drammen Hospital in particular.
“The way the doctors and nurses have cared for me, both as a patient and as a person, has deeply touched me. They have been my ‘little angels’ through a very challenging time,” he added.
They concluded by asking for privacy as Verrett recovers and committing to a future goal of raising awareness about organ donation: “We know how difficult it is to wait, and how much hope can rest on a single phone call. If our story can encourage more people to talk about organ donation and make a decision about it, that would mean a great deal to us.”
Princess Märtha Louise, who has three daughters from her previous marriage to the late author Ari Behn, announced her romance with Verrett in May 2019.
Credit: HEIKO JUNGE/NTB/AFP via Getty
The couple chronicled their romance and the media scrutiny over a black, bisexual man marrying into the Norwegian royal family in a 2025 documentary, Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story, directed by Rebecca Chaiklin of Tiger King fame. They opened up about telling their story to PEOPLE last fall.
“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,” Verrett said ahead of the film’s premiere. “And I think that’s a very important aspect that we wanted to share with the world, especially in today’s world. With everything that’s happening, it really gives people a feeling of hope and a feeling of, ‘Wow, I can live free and live to be my truth and know that I can be exactly as I am.’ ”
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The Norwegian royal family’s health issues extend beyond the King and Verrett. Prince Haakon’s wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 53, underwent a lung transplant in June after being diagnosed in 2018 with chronic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable lung condition. Before her surgery, she had to wear a nasal cannula, or oxygen breathing tube, for some public appearances.
The transplant, which took place at Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, was lauded as a success by Mette-Marit’s doctors. The Crown Princess and her husband sent their thanks to the medical staff and the public for the well-wishes they received during the “challenging time.”
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