Princess Martha Louise and Durek Verrett’s sweet gesture following moving event

Princess Martha Louise and Durek Verrett were among the attendees at the funeral of Princess Astrid, who passed away at the age of 94 on 11 September.

Astrid, who was Martha Louise’s aunt, died just two days after the funeral of her younger brother, King Harald, who passed away on 28 August at the age of 89. The funeral came just one day after Martha Louise marked her 55th birthday.

Although Astrid’s funeral didn’t have as many attendees as Harald’s state funeral, the ceremony was still moving for the family. And after the service, Martha Louise and Durek were seen supporting one another in a sweet way.

The couple, who married in 2024 in a service exclusively covered by HELLO!, were seen holding hands as they exited the church. The couple both wore black, and Durek was seen embracing a fellow mourner.

Martha Louise’s younger brother, King Haakon, took on an important role at their aunt’s funeral, as he was one of the seven pall bearers. The royal joined Astrid’s children – Cathrine, Benedikte, Alexander, Elisabeth and Carl-Christian Ferner – to help carry Astrid’s coffin outside the church in Oslo.

Following the funeral, Astrid was laid to rest at Akershus Fortress, next to her husband, Johan Martin Ferner. Astrid was married to Johan for 54 years from 1961 until his death in 2015. The couple welcomed five children together.

Martha Louise and Durek’s relationship

The couple confirmed their relationship and business partnership in May 2019 after meeting through a mutual friend the year before. Taking to Instagram to confirm the relationship, Martha Louise shared a photo of herself and Durek, and wrote: “When you meet your twin flame, you know. I have been lucky enough to have met mine. @shamandurek has changed my life, like he does with so many.”

After three years of dating, Durek popped the question under an oak tree at a friend’s horse farm in San Juan Capistrano, California. “It was really beautiful, like a blessing from the horses,” Martha Louise told Town & Country. “It was a perfect commemoration to our love for horses and our love for each other,” Durek added.

The couple openly pay tribute to each other on social media and share loved-up selfies and photos.

On Martha Louise’s podcast HeartSmart Conversations, Durek reflected on his relationship with his then future wife: “I wake up and the first thing I think about is how lucky I am to be with this amazing woman. I’m always staring at her, telling her how beautiful she is, how smart she is, what a gift to life she is.”