Why Princess Märtha Louise of Norway Is Dropping Her “Princess” Title
The royal title can be a weighty thing. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, for example, reportedly opted not to give one to their son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, in hopes of giving him a normal childhood. Princess Anne’s daughter, Zara Tindall, told the press a few years ago how thankful she was for her title-less existence: “I’m very lucky that both my parents decided to not use the title, and we grew up and did all the things that gave us the opportunity to do.”
And now, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway is the latest royal to eschew the formal moniker.
Per People, the daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja announced on Instagram that she will no longer use the title of “Princess” unless she is officially representing the Norwegian royal family, or in a private setting. The decision comes after she and her boyfriend, Shaman Durek (real name: Derek Verrett) went on a speaking tour called “The Princess and the Shaman.” Critics said she was exploiting her hereditary status for business purposes.
“The discussions are something I have taken seriously, and in collaboration with my family we have found that it is best that we make some changes,” she wrote, according to the outlet. “We have therefore jointly come to the conclusion that I use the title princess when I represent the Royal House, do my official assignments at home and abroad, and in private contexts. From now on I will not use my princess title in a commercial context. That is, in all commercial contexts, I only use Märtha Louise.”
She also launched a separate Instagram account without her title, called @martha.louise.intuitive. Her first post is of her posing with a horse. “Let’s explore life and go on adventures together,” she wrote. An upcoming webinar is simply titled “Life, Love, and Change with Shaman Durek and Märtha Louise.”
Somehow we think the newly christened Märtha Louise, who recently posted a selfie with Gwyneth Paltrow in the Hamptons, will likely do just fine without the “Princess” moniker.
Originally Appeared on Vogue
