Princess Martha of Norway Illness: What Really Happened with the Royal Health Crisis

Honestly, if you’ve been following the Norwegian royals lately, you know the headlines have been a total rollercoaster. But there’s a lot of confusion floating around about the "Princess Martha of Norway illness." People see the word "illness" next to a Norwegian princess and immediately think the worst, often mixing up Martha Louise with her sister-in-law, Crown Princess Mette-Marit.

Let's clear the air right now. Martha Louise herself isn't battling a life-threatening physical disease, but her life has been defined by a different kind of health struggle—one that involves deep mental health battles and a very public, very controversial fight for her husband’s life.

The Mix-Up: It’s Not Actually Martha Louise

If you’re searching for news about a Norwegian princess needing a lung transplant, you’re actually looking for Crown Princess Mette-Marit. It’s an easy mistake to make, but the distinction matters. Mette-Marit was diagnosed with a rare form of chronic pulmonary fibrosis back in 2018.

By late 2025, her condition took a sharp turn for the worse. The Royal House of Norway officially confirmed that she is being evaluated for a lung transplant because her lung tissue has become so scarred that she can barely get enough oxygen into her blood. It’s heavy stuff. Martha Louise, on the other hand, has been physically healthy, though she’s been living in the splash zone of these family crises for years.

The Real "Illness" in Martha Louise’s World

While Martha Louise doesn't have a chronic physical ailment, she has been incredibly open about her battle with depression. This wasn't just a "bad week" kind of situation. Following the tragic suicide of her ex-husband, Ari Behn, on Christmas Day in 2019, Martha Louise admitted to falling into a "pit of depression."

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She’s described it as having "tunnel vision"—a darkness that covers everything. She’s been very vocal about how "invisible illnesses" like the ones Ari struggled with can tear a family apart. For Martha, the "illness" narrative is more about the mental toll of grief and the scrutiny of being a royal who doesn't quite fit the mold.

The Shaman Durek Health Crisis

If you want to talk about actual medical emergencies in Martha’s immediate circle, we have to talk about her husband, Durek Verrett. This is where the "Princess Martha of Norway illness" searches usually lead. Durek has a long, documented history of serious kidney issues.

Basically, he’s living on borrowed time and medical technology. He suffered renal failure in his late 20s and actually received a kidney transplant from his sister back in 2012. Fast forward to today, and that transplant has failed.

As of late 2025 and into 2026, the situation is pretty dire:

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• Durek is on dialysis three times a week just to stay alive.
• Martha Louise actually offered to donate her own kidney, but she wasn't a match.
• The waiting list for a new kidney in Norway or the US can be up to a decade.

This creates a wild paradox. You have a man who calls himself a "Sixth Generation Shaman" and has claimed in the past that cancer is a "choice," yet he is now completely dependent on the very "Western medicine" he has occasionally criticized. It’s a point of massive tension in Norway.

Why the Public is So Confused

The reason people keep searching for "Princess Martha of Norway illness" is partly because of the "Rebel Royals" documentary on Netflix. In it, the couple is very raw about the physical toll the media pressure has taken on Durek’s health. He’s claimed that the stress of the "smear campaigns" against him has literally made his blood pressure spike and his kidney condition harder to manage.

Then you have Martha’s own history with "alternative health." She started an "angel school" and has spent years promoting the idea that we can heal through "energies" and spiritual work. When you combine her spiritual claims with Durek’s very real kidney failure and Mette-Marit’s lung disease, the "Norwegian Royal Health" story becomes a giant, tangled web.

The Controversy of Choice

We can’t talk about health in this family without mentioning the "Spirit Hacking" controversy. Durek once suggested that children get cancer because they want it. Yeah, it’s as bad as it sounds. Martha Louise has had to do a lot of damage control, constantly pivoting to say that while she believes in "warm hands and crystals," she still respects the Norwegian health system.

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It’s a weird tightrope walk. She gave up her royal duties in 2022 specifically so she could pursue these alternative health businesses without dragging the monarchy into it. But when your husband is on a dialysis machine while also selling "healing medallions" for COVID-19 (which the Norwegian government eventually flagged as illegal), the "illness" talk never really stops.

What You Need to Know Moving Forward

If you’re trying to keep the facts straight, here is the breakdown of the current state of health in the Norwegian Royal Family:

1. Focus on the Right Princess: If you see headlines about "deteriorating health" and "transplants," that is Crown Princess Mette-Marit. She is the one facing a life-altering surgery in 2026.

2. Martha Louise is the Caretaker: She isn't the patient; she’s the one trying to keep her husband alive while managing her own mental health. Her "illness" is the weight of being a bridge between two worlds—the clinical world of dialysis and the spiritual world of shamanism.

3. Watch the Kidney Search: Durek’s search for a donor is ongoing. This is likely to remain the primary "illness" story surrounding Martha Louise for the foreseeable future.

To stay truly informed, look for updates directly from the Royal House of Norway (Kongehuset) for official health bulletins. If you are following the Durek kidney saga, pay attention to reputable health journals or outlets like Hello! or People that have direct access to the couple, but always cross-reference their "spiritual" claims with actual medical science. The most actionable thing you can do is separate the spiritual rhetoric from the clinical reality of chronic kidney disease.