Norway royal family's drama that makes Prince Harry and Meghan fall-out seem tame

The recent fairy tale wedding of Princess Märtha Louise to Durek Verrett does not excite Norwegians, according to poll results, amid controversy that the Norwegian royal family is experiencing a decline in popularity.

Despite Princess Märtha Louise tying the knot with Durek Verrett in a picturesque ceremony at a hotel in the small Norwegian town of Geiranger, Norwegians believe she should lose her title of Princess.

A survey for NRK, the public broadcasting group in Norway, shows 69 percent of voters think King Harald V's daughter should lose her Princess title.

According to the outlet BFMTV, the Princess's recent marriage is not directly at issue but those believe recent controversies surrounding the use of her titles for commercial purposes have swayed public opinion in Norway.

The survey conducted during the period of September 3-5 had 1,011 respondents.

King Harald V of Norway's daughter stepped down as a working royal in 2022 but the mother-of-three was allowed to keep her title - a decision that has been hotly contested in Norway because of reports Märtha Louise has used her 'princess' name commercially.

Recent controversies also include the commercial sale of a gin bottle. Her princess title and monogram reportedly appeared on a gin produced for the couple's wedding. Distilled by Oslo Håndverksdestilleri, the spirit was described as a "tailor-made wedding drink" as reported by Se og Hør.

Unlike major royal weddings there were only a handful of close family and friends present at the wedding with a documentary crew from Netflix also in tow and local outlets largely excluded.

The princess's parents, King Harald and Queen Sonja, attended the nuptials along with other members of Norway's royal family including Märtha Louise's brother Prince Haakon, his wife Princess Mette-Marit, and their children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 20, and Prince Sverre Magnus, 18.

An alleged recent incident involving Crown Princess Mette Marit's eldest son, Marius Borg Høiby, has also harmed the monarchy as it was reported the young man spent about thirty hours in custody in August 2024 for assaulting his girlfriend.

The popularity of the Norwegian monarchy has been declining since 2017. While 81 percent of Norwegians supported the monarchy in 2017, only 62 percent did so by September 2024.

The decline has been particularly notable in recent months as support for the monarchy dropped from 73 percent last May to 68 percent in August and then to 62 percent in September.

At the royal wedding in August, guests had to follow stringent rules, as the bride and groom had exclusive deals with Netflix and Hello! Magazine, meaning attendees were not allowed to post anything on social media.

Norwegian outlet Aftenposten said that famed director, Rebecca Chaiklin, who worked on the hit show Tiger King, is making an "in-depth and moving" documentary about the Norwegian couple.

A source also told outlet Se og Hør: "If there are too many leaks of photos, the sum the couple will receive will probably be reduced, in terms of the deals they have made to companies covering their wedding."