Princess Märtha Louise of Norway shared memories of her late ex-husband, Ari Behn, on Instagram over the weekend, marking what would have been his 50th birthday.
In an emotional post filled with pictures of Behn, Princess Märtha Louise wrote, “Dear Ari. Today we celebrated you.”
“We should have put muffins to bed while singing the birthday song in the morning. Later we would have toasted you, kept talking to you, laughed and danced while talking about serious stuff, philosophical stuff, funny stuff and everything in between.”
Princess Märtha Louise’s Instagram post continued, “…We gave you muffins on your grave and sang the birthday song so loud to you that you must have heard it way past the Pearlporten. Just wanted to say we are thinking of you, and you would be very proud of our kids as you were hugging them as only you could.”
Behn took his own life on Christmas Day in 2019. At the time of his death, his former in-laws released a statement saying: “Ari has been an important part of our family for many years, and we carry warm, fond memories of him. We are grateful that we got to know him.”
Princess Märtha Louise and Behn share three daughters: Maud, Leah and Emma. Their eldest daughter, Maud, came to international attention with her speech at her father’s funeral, saying: “Everyone deserves love and joy. It is never weakness to ask for help, but strength.”
Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark commented on Princess Märtha Louise’s Instagram post: “Thinking of you and sending you so much love, light and strength always.”
Ari Behn was married to Princess Märtha Louise between 2002 and 2017 when the couple divorced. Behn was a visual artist, writer and playwright who carried out no official duties while married into the Norwegian Royal Family nor held any titles or styles.
