Originally planned to be a private wedding, the nuptials of Princess Märtha-Louise and Princess Durek Verret of Norway took royal silence to a new level.
Since the couple announced their congratulations exclusively to Hello magazine, it has become common practice for the royal family to issue announcements congratulating the couple but saying nothing more.
First, a Norwegian court confirmed that no members of the Norwegian royal family would appear in the photographs taken for the magazine or in a show filmed around the couple for Netflix.
The King and Queen of Norway will be attending this year's royal wedding, but don't expect to see them in person.
(NRK Stills/Fair Use)
In fact, members of the royal family were so keen to state that they would not be taking part in the photoshoot that they announced it before saying which members of the family would be taking part.
A few days later, as expected, it was revealed that King Harald and Queen Sonja would be attending the wedding of their only daughter. Crown Prince Haakon and his wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, would also be in attendance, along with their two children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Sverre Magnus. Princess Astrid, King Harald's 92-year-old sister and the bride's aunt, would also be in attendance.
Princess Martha Louise and Durek Verret sparked controversy after sharing exclusive footage of their wedding with Hello magazine and appearing in a Netflix show.
(NRK Screenshot/Fair Use)
However, Crown Princess Mette-Marit's eldest son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Høiby, will not be attending the gala. He is currently under police investigation on suspicion of assault and criminal damage.
Crown Prince Haakon told reporters he was looking forward to his sister's wedding but would not be giving a speech at the celebration.
For now, it has been confirmed that the father of the bride's speech will not be made public as things stand – as it is a private wedding, the royal family will not make it public, but due to the royal family's reluctance to get involved in magazine and TV deals, the speech will not appear in the exclusive coverage negotiated by Martha Louise and Durek.
King Frederick and Queen Mary of Denmark have been friends with the bride for many years
(Det Danske Kongefus/Instagram)
The Norwegian royal family is not the only one to show embarrassment over the wedding, as two other members of the royal family also confirmed details of the attendees, clarifying that it was a private wedding and that they would not be making any royal comments.
The Danish royal family shut down questions altogether with a short statement to the newspaper Byred Bladet. Their spokesman said, “The Danish Royal Family will not officially attend the wedding of Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Wellett in Geiranger.” Princess Märtha Louise is just a few years younger than Denmark's new king and remains close friends with King Frederik X and his wife, Queen Mary. But her wedding will likely be a free zone for the Danish royal family.
Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel will attend the Norwegian royal wedding but have made it clear they will not be commenting on the controversial event ahead of the big day.
(Photo courtesy of i-Images/Pool)
The Swedish royal family has also spoken about the celebration. Crown Princess Victoria, heir to the Swedish throne, and her husband Prince Daniel have been confirmed to be in attendance. Victoria's brother Prince Carl Philip and his wife Princess Sofia are also on the guest list. But as you'd expect, this is a private affair for them, and they're not going to say much more than that.
It's unlikely that guests, royal or not, will be seen much during the four days of celebrations surrounding the wedding, with the ceremony itself taking place at the Union Hotel, where doors will be tightly secured to keep the entire affair private.
