Shaman Durek Verrett celebrated his wife Princess Märtha Louise of Norway's 54th birthday with a touching tribute on social media. The spiritual guru penned a message to his wife on Tuesday, calling her "the crown of my heart."
"The first day you walked through the door and our eyes met my soul recognized eternity. In that moment I knew my life had changed and that God had placed the greatest gift before me. I did not just fall in love with you, I fell in love with the way you love," Durek wrote on Instagram. "The way you lift your three powerful daughters with tenderness and strength, the way you embrace my sister and my family as if they were always yours. You are more than my wife, you are the living heartbeat of our home, the queen who turns ordinary moments into miracles, the mother whose love shapes legacies, and the partner who walks with me through every fire and every triumph."
"On your birthday I honor you as the crown of my heart and the eternal light of my world. You are proof that love is divine, that heaven walks among us, that forever is real," Durek continued. "My love for you is deeper than time and greater than this life, and I thank God endlessly for choosing me to walk this path with you. Happy Birthday my beloved. You are my forever and my always."
The Princess reacted to her husband's post, commenting: "Thank you, my love, for these wonderful words. Love you always, forever and beyond. ❤️."
King Harald V and Queen Sonja's daughter Märtha turned 54 on Monday, Sept. 22. Six days before her birthday, Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story—a documentary about the Princess and Durek's relationship—dropped on Netflix.
On the eve of Märtha's birthday, Durek, who married the Norwegian royal last year, took to Instagram to clarify something he said in the documentary about his in-laws. Alongside a video of himself explaining what he meant, the Princess' husband penned: "What I said in the Netflix documentary about my father in law not knowing racism has been twisted by the media. Let me be clear about what I meant. In American culture when we say someone does not know racism it often means they have not experienced it in the same way we have or they do not understand the depth of its impact. It does not mean they are ignorant or unkind."
"It means their lived experience is different. Cultural language does not always translate the same way. I love my father in law and my mother in law deeply. We have a strong and respectful relationship. They have supported me and my wife through everything and we share great love and understanding," Durek added. "I am not a victim and I am not interested in playing one. I am an educator and my focus is always on love and lifting humanity higher. The media may twist words to create a story but the truth is simple. My family and I stand together in respect and love and that is what matters most."