Netflix documentary "Rebel royals – An unlikely love story" was released on Tuesday morning and has already sparked strong reactions. In the documentary, the couple makes a number of statements towards the Norwegian royal family, including about the lack of awareness of racism.
Difficult first meeting
In the film, Verrett tells about what it was like when Märtha Louise introduced him to the family:
Her father, her mother, and her brother – they did not know what racism was. So it was difficult, they looked at me as if I were crazy when I said that racism exists, he says.
Now, the princess couple themselves admit that the film is problematic even from their own perspective:
"We have a loving relationship with all members of the royal family. We care deeply about them, and it genuinely hurts us if something in this process has caused them harm or pain", they say in a statement through their spokesperson, which the Norwegian newspaper VG has been informed of.
Märtha Louise has had an agreement with the royal family since 2022 not to use her princess title in commercial contexts, an agreement that Norwegian royal experts believe the documentary constitutes a breach of.
The director's hands
"We acknowledge the seriousness of the situation and the importance of respecting the agreement from now on. In retrospect, there is no doubt that there are things we wish we had handled differently. Our focus is now to take responsibility and ensure that we move forward in a constructive way", the couple says in the statement and emphasizes that they cannot answer questions from the press precisely because of the agreement.
The couple also emphasizes that the final editing of the documentary has been in the hands of Netflix and the director Rebecca Chaiklin.
The Norwegian royal family's spokesperson writes in an email to NRK that the couple's participation in the documentary is a breach of the agreement and that one will now talk to them about the importance of separating their activities from the royal family's.
