Princess Märtha Louise of Norway's daughter Maud had a very special role at her wedding

Martha Louise and Durek on their wedding day with the princess's daughters Maud, Leah, and Emma
Martha Louise and Durek on their wedding day with the princess's daughters Maud, Leah, and Emma

Märtha Louise of Norway called on her eldest daughter Maud to play a very important role at her wedding to shaman Durek Verrett last weekend.

Märtha, who shares her eldest child Maud, as well as her two younger daughters Leah and Emma with her late husband Ari Behn, asked her firstborn to do the honours of giving her away.

The wedding, which was exclusively covered by HELLO! magazine and attended by 350 guests from around the world, saw Märtha walk down the aisle at Hotel Union in Geiranger, western Norway.

Märtha Louise and Durek are married
The first exclusive photo of the couple was released on Saturday afternoon by HELLO!

Her daughters Leah, 19, and Emma, 16, walked into the marquee first, looking resplendent in shimmering gold dresses made by budding young Norwegian designer Rikke Boe.

They were followed by Märtha's seven bridesmaids in pink dresses alongside Durek's seven groomsmen, and flower girls Astral, Ava and Cornelia, who scattered rose petals down the aisle.

Newlyweds Märtha Louise and Durek surrounded by family, friends and their wedding party
Newlyweds Märtha Louise and Durek surrounded by family, friends and their wedding party (Maja Moan)

Finally, last in the procession were the bride and her eldest daughter Maud, 21, who was also dressed in gold and proudly gave her mother away, pulling back her mother's veil as they reached Durek.

Märtha, 52, is the eldest child of King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway and at her first wedding to Norwegian author Ari, her father walked her down the aisle at the historic Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway.

Märtha and Ari were married from 2002 to 2017; her first husband sadly took his own life in 2019.

Durek Verrett and Martha Louise of Norway married on Saturday 31 August in a wedding exclusively covered by HELLO!
Durek Verrett and Martha Louise of Norway married on Saturday 31 August in a wedding exclusively covered by HELLO!

The personal vows

Märtha is incredibly close to her three grown-up daughters. Both she and Durek referenced them in their deeply personal vows during Saturday's ceremony.

Märtha Louise's daughters Leah and Emma arrive at their mother's wedding with some of the bridal party
Märtha Louise's daughters Leah and Emma arrive at their mother's wedding with some of the bridal party (Alamy)

Fighting back tears, Märtha said: "I promise to love you with all my heart. I promise to take responsibility for my emotions. I promise to love you because I know you know that my girls come first."

Durek, likewise, said: "I promise to always listen to your wisdom. I promise to always hold space for you and your daughters and listen to them as well. I promise to love you with my last breath."

Durek's relationship with Märtha's daughters

Speaking exclusively to HELLO!, the groom, 49, also opened up about his relationship with his new stepdaughters, saying: "I've always wanted children. Over the years we've built a lovely relationship that's our own."

"It's amazing, they all get on really well," added Märtha.

Princess Martha Louise's daughters Maud Angelica Behn, Emma Tallulah Behn and Leah Isadora Behn
Maud, Emma, and Leah stood out from the rest of the bridal party in gold shimmering dresses (Getty)

In the couple's pre-wedding interview with HELLO!, shaman Durek also spoke about how forming a relationship with Märtha's three girls had been his priority from day one.

"Dating a woman with children, you have to be responsible," he said. "If it doesn't work out, it's not fair to them. I wanted to make sure we would get on, so I spent time with them.

Wedding latest

"I took them to Universal Studios in LA and introduced them to my family. As I got to know them and their different personalities, it was like seeing elements of Märtha. It's taken years to build trust and a relationship that is our own.

"As a couple, our priority is the kids. We believe in being hands-on parents, so they always come first."

To read the full exclusive interview with Märtha Louise and Durek and to see the full wedding album, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK now. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.