Princess Martha Louise of Norwayreceived the support of thousands of Norwegians as she bid an emotional farewell to late husbandAri Behnin Oslo on Friday.
Princess Märtha Louise and her three daughters at the funeral of ex-husband Ari Behn.HAKON MOSVOLD LARSEN/NTB SCANPIX/AFP via Getty Images
Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Queen Sonja, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and King Harald.LISE ASERUD/NTB SCANPIX/AFP via Getty Images
HAKON MOSVOLD LARSEN/NTB SCANPIX/AFP via Getty Images
Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands and Prince Daniel of Sweden.Vidar Ruud/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Prince Daniel of Sweden, 46, husband of Crown Princess Victoria, 42, was spotted too. Victoria was unable to attend after the couple’s 7-year-old daughter Princess Estelle broke her leg in a skiing accident. The Swedish royal couple were close friends with Behn and his former wife.
HEIKO JUNGE/NTB SCANPIX/AFP via Getty
Behn’s girlfriend, lawyer Ebba Rysst Heilman, 35, was also in attendance. She sat in the front row beside Behn’s parents and walked out behind his coffin.
Heilmanshared an emotional tribute on Instagramon Dec. 29
“Now your heart has found peace, but it will always beat strongly in my body,” she wrote. “Fortunately, you knew that — and also how much I loved you because I told you every day.
“I will do everything I promised you because you made me believe in me. I can write in ink so that the tears gush. Thanks to everyone who takes care of me. I am eternally grateful for this support.”
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While the exact circumstances of Behn’s death remain unclear, the author had a history of alcoholism and depression. In a 2009 interview withMassivmagazine, he described himself as being depressed, lonely and difficult to live with.
On the cover of his book 2018Inferno,he wrote that he was “too intense, full of words and much too much force,” before adding that he was also “shy and shameless.”
“I couldn’t hold back. I let it burn,” he added.
In an interview to promoteInfernowithDagbladet Magasinet,Behn also revealed that he’d once been rushed to hospital in an ambulance after suffering a severe “panic attack” in the aftermath of his divorce from Princess Martha Louise.
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“Sometimes life is not to endure. For some, it gets so dark that nothing helps. Not even the love of their loved ones. Some see no other way than to leave life. Those who remain must live on. Poorer — without the one they loved.”
The King continued, “We are grateful that we got to know him. We grieve that our grandchildren have now lost their beloved father — and have deep compassion for his parents and siblings, who have now lost their beloved son and brother.”
Princess Martha Louise, who isnow dating American spiritual guide Shaman Durek, has not released a statement on her ex-husband’s death. It has been reported that Verrett and the princess were together for the Christmas holidays when they received news of Behn’s death.
In 2017, Behn also made international headlines when he allegedKevin Spaceyof groping him at a Nobel Peace Prize banquet in Oslo in 2007.
“We had a nice conversation, he was sat next to me,” Behn told Norwegian radio station P4 about meeting the Oscar winner. “After five minutes, he says ‘Hey, let’s go out and have a cigarette’ — and then he touched me right on the balls under the table. (Spacey has denied all allegations of assault.)
Princess Martha Louise of Norway and her daughter Maud Angelica Behn.HAKON MOSVOLD LARSEN/NTB SCANPIX/AFP via Getty Images
Norwegian author Åsne Seierstad, who was a friend of Ari Behn and attended the funeral, tells PEOPLE: “The Kevin Spacey thing was nothing to him. I don’t know intimately where his dark moments came from, but it was partly due to his use of alcohol.
“He obviously had his dark sides, but he was always very gentle and never showed them to the public. I remember walking around with him and wherever we went would take forever because people always stopped him and he would always engage with everyone in conversation. He was a master of compliments. That’s the reason it comes out in this love now.
“His death is a major thing for the people of Norway because he was so loved for how he was and who he was.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go tosuicidepreventionlifeline.org.
source: people.com
