– As a public figure, I have had personal experiences that highlight the critical need for non-disclosure agreements. In America, this is a normal practice for people in the public eye, writes Verrett in an e-mail to VG.
– NDANon-disclosure agreement, and what we in Norway call a non-disclosure agreement.– are not just for big business deals, they are a lifeline for safeguarding personal integrity and respecting privacy. Se og Hør has proven on several occasions that these NDAs are crucial for our privacy and security, he says.
Earlier in April, Märtha and Durek went on Instagram and said will not speak to the press any more. Verrett and Märtha’s manager answered the questions about this matter shortly before they introduced the boycott.
Also read: Reacting to the princess’s boycott: – Must expect her to respond
VG has revealed that Se og Hør has entered into a contract with Verrett’s mother. She has appeared several times in exclusive interviews in the magazine, under headlines such as “I want to warn all Norwegians against my son”.
According to Verrett, the mother has not signed an NDA agreement.
– Never signed such a paper
Editor Ulf André “Uffe” Andersen claims that both Verrett’s siblings Angelina and Brandon, and his former manager, Simon Valvik, have signed such confidentiality agreements and therefore cannot speak freely to the press.
– We do not understand that you have to demand permanent non-disclosure agreements if you have nothing to hide. The couple has also previously threatened a multimillion-dollar lawsuit if anything unfavorable was said about the shaman Durek. This is also signed on behalf of Princess Märtha Louise, writes the Se og Hør editor in an e-mail to VG.
When asked what documentation he has when he claims this, he does not answer.
To VG, those involved reject the allegations.
– I have never signed such a paper. And I have always, both during the collaboration with Durek and now, been able to speak completely freely, writes Valvik in an SMS to VG.
Andersen replies:
– It does not surprise us that he refuses to have such an agreement with Durek.
When asked if Se og Hør has seen documentation that Valvik has signed, Andersen replies that he has nothing more to comment on.
Durek Verrett’s former manager
The princess’s manager Carina Scheele Carlsen says that it is true that someone in their circle in the US has signed non-disclosure agreements.
– They have been open about this in the past. The unculture of buying interviews is very widespread in the US, and therefore it is normal and necessary to protect both them and their friends in that way.
VG has previously written that Verrett’s ex-boyfriend, Hank Greenberg, was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Scheele Carlsen further says that the situation in Norway is different, and that such agreements have therefore not been relevant here.
– My sister Angelina Verrett Byrne and my brother Brandon Clarke have not signed NDAs, and neither has Simon Valvik, writes Verrett to VG.
He says there are people associated with his business, including one of his older sisters, who have signed such an agreement in the United States. VG has contacted the older sister to ask if she has signed a non-disclosure agreement, as Verrett claims, but has not received an answer.
Durek’s siblings, Angelina and Brandon, refuse to sign non-disclosure agreements. They also reject the claim that they “did not speak freely” during the interview with VG.
– It is not true. We do not have any contract or agreement with Durek, says Angelina Verrett and adds:
– Again they share false information.
– That is an obvious false claim, says Brandon Clarke.
The Se og Hør editor writes that he thinks it would have been interesting to elaborate and document what the siblings believe is false information.
– We have tried to get in touch with them, but they have instead chosen to use VG as their microphone stand.
When asked whether the weekly has seen the confidentiality agreement between the siblings and Durek, the editor replies that he does not want to comment further.
Denies having sold photos
It was during the year SKUP conferenceThe Foundation for a Critical and Investigative Press (SKUP) has its annual conference in Tønsberg, where prizes are awarded for what are considered to be the most important awards for investigative journalism in Norway. that Se og Hør’s editor-in-chief made the allegations about Verrett’s use of non-disclosure agreements. A few days earlier, Märtha had come out harshly against the magazine in her own podcast.
She said there that the interviews with Verrett’s mother in the weekly magazine are the reason why the mother has not been invited to the upcoming wedding. The mother herself has confirmed that she is under contract with Se og Hør.
Editor Andersen also showed photos from the engagement party of Princess Märtha and Durek Verrett. These were pictures the magazine published in an edition in 2022.
– They are exclusive and we have paid for them. Who do you think sold these exclusive image rights, asked Andersen and continued:
– As you know, I do not comment on individual cases. I simply can’t tell you who sold, but you can almost figure that out for yourself.
For this matter, VG has asked Andersen if he thinks it is possible to perceive it as him referring to someone other than Märtha and Durek.
– I never comment on individual cases, Andersen replies again.
Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett categorically rejects that they have sold the pictures to Se og Hør, says the princess’s manager, Carina Scheele Carlsen.
– Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett have not sold photos from the engagement to Se og Hør.
When the engagement became known in the summer of 2022, VG was also offered to buy the photos from the photographer for a given price. Scheele Carlsen says that the future bride and groom were not involved in this.
– We had nothing to do with this. We have not received any payment for this.
She also specifies that the princess has never been paid by the weekly magazine.
