ノルウェー王女、自称シャーマンと３１日に挙式

【オスロＦＰ＝時事】ノルウェーのマッタ・ルイーセ王女（５２）が３１日、シャーマンを自称する米国人男性デュレク・ベレット氏（４９）と結婚式を挙げる。代替医療の信奉者同士の結婚に、ノルウェー国民は眉をひそめている。（写真は、マッタ・ルイーセ王女〈左〉とデュレク・ベレット氏。ノルウェー・オスロで）
　結婚式は、ノルウェー西部のフィヨルドにある風光明媚（めいび）な村、ガイランゲルの丘の上に立つホテルで執り行われる。
　祝賀行事は２９日のパーティーで始まり、スウェーデンのビクトリア皇太子夫妻ら３５０人以上の招待客が出席した。
　ベレット氏よると、二人はすでに結婚の誓いを交わしており、３１日の結婚式はそれを更新するものになるという。
　マッタ・ルイーセ王女は、ハラルド国王とソニア王妃の長女。王位継承順位は、弟のホーコン皇太子とその子ども２人に次ぐ第４位。離婚歴があり、前夫との間に３人の娘がいる。自分には霊能力があり、天使と会話できると主張。この「才能」を活用し、著書や講演で利益を得ている。
　王女は、メディアに魔女狩りの標的にされていると主張している。
　だが、批判のほとんどはベレット氏に向けられたもので、メディアは同氏を「ペテン師」「偽医者」と呼んでいる。
　米カリフォルニア州出身のベレット氏は「シャーマンの家系の６代目」を自称。著書の一つで、がんは選択の問題だと主張。女性の膣に過去の性的パートナーが残した「刻印」を取り除くためのエクササイズを推奨している。
　ウェブサイトでは「魂の最適化ツール」だとするメダルを２２２ドル（約３万２０００円）で販売。このメダルは、自身が新型コロナウイルスに感染した際の回復に役立ったと主張している。
　自身の前世は古代エジプトのファラオ（王）で、マッタ・ルイーセ王女はその妻だったとも主張。グウィネス・パルトローさんやアントニオ・バンデラスさんら、米ハリウッドのスター俳優からも崇拝されている。
　ベレット氏は自分の信仰が一部の人に不安を感じさせるかもしれないことを認める一方、英国のヘンリー王子と結婚したアフリカ系米国人のメーガン妃と同様、自身は人種差別の被害者だと主張している。
　ベレット氏は２０２２年６月、「白人が私たちにあらゆる憎しみと殺害予告を送ってくる。王室に黒人男性が加わるのを見たくないからだ」とインスタグラムに投稿した。
　王女は２０２２年６月の婚約発表後、「私はとてもスピリチュアルな人間で、それを受け入れてくれる人と一緒にいられるのは本当に素晴らしいことだ」とインスタグラムに投稿した。
　二人の結婚は王室支持率低下の一因となっている。国営テレビＮＲＫの世論調査によると、王室支持率は２０１７年の８１％から、今週は６８％に低下した。
　支持率低下には、メッテ・マリット皇太子妃がホーコン皇太子と結婚する前にもうけた息子マリウス・ボルグ・ホイビー容疑者（２７）が起こしたスキャンダルも寄与している。
　ボイビー容疑者は今月、コカインとアルコールを摂取して交際相手の女性に暴行を加えたことを認めた。その後、同容疑者と過去に交際していた女性２人も同様の被害を受けたと名乗り出た。
　ノルウェー国民の１０人中４人は、過去１年間で王室に対する見方が以前よりも否定的なものになったと回答。その多くが原因としてマッタ・ルイーセ王女とベレット氏、ボイビー容疑者を挙げている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/08/30-17:22）

Norwegian Princess Martha Louise is set to marry American self-proclaimed shaman Durek Verrett on Saturday, a union of two alternative therapy devotees that has raised eyebrows in Norway.
Martha Louise, a 52-year-old divorcee, claims to be a clairvoyant who can speak with angels, a gift she has shared -- and profited from -- in books and courses.
Verrett, 49 and from California, calls himself a sixth-generation shaman and sells pricey gold medallions that he says save lives.
I'm very spiritual, it's just so nice to be with a person who embraces it, Martha Louise said on Instagram after the couple announced their engagement in June 2022.
The pair will tie the knot at a hotel in the hills of Geiranger, a picturesque village on the shores of a fjord on Norway's west coast.
Festivities kick off Thursday with a party for the more than 350 guests, including Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel.
According to Verrett, Saturday's nuptials are actually a renewal of the couple's vows.
The spiritual guide, who counts Hollywood celebrities Gwyneth Paltrow and Antonio Banderas among his followers, claims he was a pharaoh in a previous life and Martha Louise was his wife.
The couple's eccentricity has ruffled feathers in no-nonsense Norway, as has their disregard for science and their use of their royal ties for commercial gain.
To avoid confusion over her role, Martha Louise relinquished her royal duties in November 2022. She kept her title but agreed not to use it in her commercial endeavours.
She has however violated the agreement several times since then, most recently when she and Verrett released a wedding gin for sale in Norway that bore her princess title on the label.
Seeing as the agreement has not been respected, it's time to take away Martha Louise's princess title before King Harald sees his life's work destroyed even further, historian and royal expert Trond Noren Isaksen wrote in an op-ed piece in July.
The couple has also angered Norwegian media by signing deals with Hello! magazine and Netflix for exclusive coverage of the wedding.
- Falling popularity -
Martha Louise has three daughters from her first marriage to flamboyant Norwegian author Ari Behn, who committed suicide three years after their 2016 divorce.
She is fourth in line to the Norwegian throne; her younger brother Crown Prince Haakon is due one day to succeed King Harald.
Norway's royal family has been largely spared from scandal -- until recently.
Martha Louise and Verrett have contributed to an erosion of public support for the monarchy, from 81 percent in 2017 to 68 percent, a poll by public broadcaster NRK showed this week.
A recent scandal involving the 27-year-old son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit -- from a relationship prior to her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon -- has also contributed.
Earlier this month, Marius Borg Hoiby admitted to a cocaine- and alcohol-fuelled assault on his girlfriend, and two ex-girlfriends have since come forward with similar claims.
Four in 10 Norwegians said their view of the royal family had grown more negative in the past year, with many citing Martha Louise, Verrett or Hoiby as the reason, the poll showed.
- Witch hunts and quacks -
Martha Louise has accused the media of pursuing a witch hunt against her.
But it is Verrett who has received the most criticism, labelled a charlatan and a quack in the press.
In one of his books, he suggested that cancer was a choice, and recommended exercises to remove imprints from women's vaginas left by previous sexual partners.
On his website, he sells a $222 Spirit Optimizer medallion which he says helped him overcome Covid.
While Verrett has acknowledged his beliefs may be unsettling for some, he claims he is a victim of racism -- echoing fellow African American Meghan Markle's complaints after she joined Britain's royal family.
White people write all this hate and death threats to us... because... they don't want to see a black man in the royal family, he said on Instagram in June 2022.
Meanwhile, 87-year-old King Harald -- who fought for years to be allowed to marry Queen Sonja, a commoner -- has said little about his future son-in-law, referring only to a culture clash.
He has described him as a great guy and very funny.
We've agreed to disagree on some things, the king said in November 2022.