Princess Märtha Louise and fiancé Durek Verrett’s management team in dispute with police in Møre and Romsdal over wedding transparency

Princess Märtha Louise and her fiancé Durek Verrett’s management team have reportedly sent several sharp emails to the police in Møre and Romsdal regarding their upcoming wedding in Geiranger. The emails accused the police of facilitating media coverage from the air. This correspondence exchanged back and forth for weeks before the dispute was eventually put to rest.

Interestingly, the police have kept various documents regarding the wedding under wraps for quite some time. Reidun Kjelling Nybø, General Secretary of the Norwegian Editors’ Association, criticized the police for lacking respect for the principle of public transparency. Kristine Foss, a lawyer from the Press Association, asserted that the police’s handling of the emails violated the law.

The police are required to maintain continuous public records of all incoming and outgoing communications. This is mandated by multiple laws, and the Civil Ombudsman has stressed that such documentation must occur promptly, even during busy periods.

Despite this, police officials have faced criticism for their delays in releasing documents related to the wedding, stating high workloads and the need to address confidentiality and security concerns. Iselin Nevstad Øvrelid, a police department director, admitted that they should have recorded the emails sooner, acknowledging the need for improvement in their practices.

Industry experts emphasize that transparency is crucial, highlighting that the public and media should have access to information regarding government operations. The overall sentiment reflects concerns over the police’s management of information related to high-profile events, suggesting systemic changes may be necessary to ensure compliance with transparency standards.