When Netflix dropped its new documentary Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story last week, it promised drama and it delivered.
Centering on the romance between Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and her American husband, Durek Verrett, the series has reignited controversy around the couple while sparking fierce debate at home.
Märtha Louise, who stepped down from official royal duties ahead of her marriage to Verrett, has long faced scrutiny for promoting pseudoscientific beliefs alongside her husband a self-styled shaman to Hollywood stars. But it was Verrett’s pointed criticism of his royal in-laws that truly set off headlines.
In the film, Verrett doesn’t hold back, alleging that King Harald, Queen Sonja, and Crown Prince Haakon failed to grasp the realities of racism he endured.
“Most people who are white are trained to listen to white people and not to people of colour,” he says.
“Her father, her mom, her brother … they didn’t even know what racism was. They would look at me like I was crazy when I would say there’s racism.”
It may make for compelling television, but Netflix’s portrayal of Harald and Sonja as naive, out of touch even prejudiced is strikingly off the mark.
For many Norwegians, the suggestion is not only misleading, it undermines the very role the royal couple has played for decades.
Unlike Britain’s Windsors, who often dominate headlines with glamour and scandal, Norway’s royals have cultivated a quieter, steadier presence.
Some of the strongest defenses of King Harald and Queen Sonja have come from minority communities themselves.
Just days after the documentary premiered, a prime time debate show saw queer activists, religious leaders, representatives of disabled communities, anti-racist networks, and women’s organisations all testify to the couple’s long-standing commitment to inclusivity.