– We are aware that exclusive rights have been granted to two media for the coverage of the wedding of Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett, writes Varpe in an e-mail to news. – The members of the Royal Household have reserved themselves from being photographed and filmed by these two media, in those cases where the press otherwise does not have access. news was able to reveal yesterday that the British celebrity magazine Hello Magazine has secured the image rights when Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett get married on 31 August. Today, the couple confirmed the information. Several independent sources have also informed news that the TV rights in connection with the wedding will be linked to Netflix. When Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett set out on a boat trip in the Oslofjord this summer, they were accompanied by a TV team including producer Rebecca Chaiklin, who is behind the popular Netflix documentary “Tiger King”. Photo: PHOTORUNNER AS / FRANK EVENSEN news has also asked the Palace whether such an exclusive agreement, which the princess couple has now confirmed to have entered into with Hello Magazine, is within the royal family’s agreement that the princess shall not use the title and her relationship to the royal house commercially. – The agreement between the royal house and Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett still applies, writes Varpe. – Strongly regrettable The Princess couple’s decision to enter into exclusive agreements for coverage of the wedding has provoked reactions. – I think it is deeply regrettable and a shame that they have chosen such a solution, says general secretary Reidun Kjelling Nybø of the Norwegian Editors’ Association. – The princess is now breaking a long tradition in Norway, says Reidun K. Nybø in the Editors’ Association. Photo: Mariam Butt / NTB scanpix – We register that Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett believe that this is a private event. At the same time, they have sold the rights to both the wedding and the parties to a foreign magazine. Then it doesn’t come across as particularly private after all, says Nybø. She points out that Princess Märtha Louise is now breaking a year-long tradition. – Here, a central member of the Norwegian royal family is breaking what has been a long and good tradition. – Major events have been documented via Norwegian broad media, such as NTB and news, on behalf of the entire press, which has passed the images on to the people and to other newsrooms that want them, including foreign ones, says Nybø. When Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett were to visit TV 2 a few days after they announced their relationship in May 2019, they were met by a large press corps. When the couple now get married, there will be no Norwegian newsrooms present to document the wedding. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB Will not share the content with the public – the celebrity magazine “will cover every detail exclusively” Simon Eriksen Valvik, press officer for the wedding, stated today that the guest list, the program and details about the content of the wedding will not be shared with either the public or the press, as the wedding party is a private event. “It is of course gratifying that so many people want to participate in the celebration. This great interest, however, places very high demands on capacity, security and logistics. We have therefore chosen to enter into an exclusive agreement on coverage of the wedding and party with HELLO! Magazine,” wrote Valvik in a press release. Other press will have limited access to the wedding and will not be able to document the wedding. The couple published this photo when they got engaged in 2022. Photo: Babak Golkar/elevateYOU / NTB The press and the public get to see the bride and groom on their wedding day when they come out to greet the local population after the wedding. In addition, one or more photos of the bride and groom with their family will be sent out afterwards. Pictures from the wedding itself are to be shown by the British weekly magazine. – We had great respect for the fact that the couple had wanted the celebration and the party to be private. – But getting married – the wedding itself – is for all of us a public event in itself. When it is also the daughter of Norway’s king and the fourth in line to the Norwegian throne who gets married, it is not a private event, says Nybø. Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett will marry outdoors at Vinjevollen in Geiranger. Sletten is next to Hotell Union, where the wedding party is held. Photo: Astri Husø / news – A new turn from the princess News editor Christina Dorthellinger at NTB is disappointed by the princess couple’s decision. – We think it is very unfortunate. We are very disappointed about it. And actually terribly surprised. This is a new image in the Norwegian public and a new turn from the Norwegian princess, she says. – It is historic if we do not have that access. We have been to all major public events and celebrations and anniversaries related to the Norwegian royal house ever since King Haakon arrived in Norway in November 1905. Will not disclose price Hello Magazine also confirms on their website that they have exclusive rights to the wedding. “Märtha Louise, the daughter of the king and queen of Norway, and her fiancé Durek Verrett are getting married in less than two weeks – and Hello! are pleased to announce that we will be covering every detail of the wedding exclusively in our magazine, on our website and on social media in collaboration with our sister publication Hola!”, it says. It is not known how much the magazine has paid for the rights. Simon E. Valvik will not answer how much Hello Magazine has paid for the exclusive rights. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB news has asked Valvik if the rights have been sold and, if so, how much Hello Magazine has paid. news has also asked whether the guests have been informed about the agreement with the British weekly. – We do not comment on the content of the agreement or anything else around it, replies Valvik. – I am very happy to be in Hello! and Hola!, they always have lovely photo sessions, says Princess Märtha Louise herself to the magazine. – Our wedding venue in Geiranger is very beautiful and special to me, and I am really looking forward to it. Durek Verrett is also happy about the agreement the couple has entered into with the celebrity magazine. – I really appreciate being in these magazines. I have read their articles and feel that they really understand me and Märtha, he says. – Other media portray me as something I am not, but Hello and Hola show who I am, and I am grateful for that, adds Verrett. Public interest is attached to the wedding when the king’s daughter is to marry on 31 August. Here, Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett are photographed in connection with the celebration of Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s 18th birthday in June 2022, a week and a half after they announced their engagement. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB – A famous revenge Sociologist Trond Blindheim is not surprised by the princess couple’s decision. – They have been out there and said that they did not want to talk to the press. The Norwegian media have had a good number of critical cases that have been of little benefit to them, which, among other things, have been about the use of the princess title, Durek’s controversial statements and so on. – Perhaps this is a famous revenge against the Norwegian press who have been negative towards them. I don’t know, but at least they have not been satisfied with the press reports about them, says Blindheim. He reminds that Princess Märtha Louise no longer represents the royal house and does not receive any apanage. – They have every right to sell the wedding. Both the princess and Verrett make a living from commercial tasks. I think they would rather try to position themselves abroad, where there is also a bigger market for the “business” they run, says Blindheim. British royal relative received criticism for selling the wedding It has previously caused reactions when commercial players have bought rights to a wedding with a royal connection. The public and press caught a glimpse of the newlyweds Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly as they left the church, but the rights to the images from the wedding and the party had been sold by the couple. Photo: SHAUN CURRY / AFP When British Peter Phillips, the son of King Charles’ sister Princess Anne, married in 2008, he sold the exclusive image rights from the wedding and the reception to Hello Magazine for 500,000 pounds. This corresponds to almost NOK 7 million at today’s exchange rate. – As the guest list consisted of Peter Phillips’ entire family, including grandmother Queen Elizabeth, Hello bet big and spent almost 60 pages on the wedding, Swedish royal house expert Roger Lundgren told news. It is not known whether and how much Hello Magazine has paid for the rights to Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett’s wedding. Queen Elizabeth was a self-described guest when her grandson Peter Phillips got married. Photo: POOL / Reuters After the wedding of Peter Phillips in 2008, criticism came from among other members of parliament, who reacted that someone in the family was making money from the Queen’s presence. – The case received strong criticism. It is always problematic if people who have a royal connection can be accused of profiting from their kinship, said Lundgren. Published 21.08.2024, at 12.29 Updated 21.08.2024, at 16.29
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The palace: – The members of the royal family have reserved themselves from being photographed
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