Troubled Norwegian ex-Royal Ari Behn is laid to rest at funeral attended by his ex-wife Princess Martha Louise and his daughters after he killed himself on Christmas Day after years of depression and alcohol abuse
- Members of Norwegian family led mourners who attended funeral of Ari Behn, ex-husband of Princess Martha
- A solemn Princess Martha Louise was joined by her sister and King harald and Queen Mette-Marit in Oslo
- Ari Behn, a Norwegian author, playwright and visual artist, killed himself on Christmas Day at the age of 47
Members of the Norwegian Royal Family
today led the mourners who turned out to pay their respects at the
funeral of Ari Behn, the ex-husband of Norway's Princess Martha Louise.
A
solemn Princess Martha Louise was joined by Princess Ingrid Alexandra,
Queen Crown Princess Mette-Marit and King Harald at the Oslo Cathedral.
Princess
Martha Louise's new boyfriend, shaman Durek Verrett, 44, who counts
Gwyneth Paltrow among his clients, did not appear to be in attendance at
the event.
Former Norwegian royal Ari
Behn had battled against alcoholism and spoke last year about feeling
'terrified' with 'devouring anxiety'. He made headlines in 2017 after
accusing disgraced actor Kevin Spacey of groping him under a table.
Among
the mourners and relatives who gathered in the cathedral was NATO
Secratary General Jens Stoltenberg and his wife Ingrid Schulerud.
Princess Martha Louise with
daughters Leah Isadora Behn and Emma Tallulah Behn look emotional as
they leave the Cathedral of Oslo after Ari Behn's funeral
Princess Martha Louise put a protective arm around her daughters as they left the funeral on Friday afternoon
Princess Martha Louise pictured with her daughters after attending the funeral service
Members of the Norwegian Royal Family gather outside Oslo Cathedral after the funeral of Ari Behn on Friday afternoon
Family members carry Ari Behn's casket out of Oslo Cathedral
Norway's Princess Martha Louise
(right) and her daughters Emma Tallulah Behn, Leah Isadora Behn and Maud
Angelica Behn place flowers on the coffin of Ari Behn
Maud Angelica Behn and her mother, princess Martha Louise during the funeral of Ari Behn
(From left to right) Princess
Ingrid Alexandra, Queen Sonja, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and King
Harald attend the funeral of Ari Behn
Mourners gathered during the funeral of Ari Behn, ex-husband of Norway's Princess Martha Louise, at Oslo Cathedral
Also in attendance were foreign royals Princess Petra Laurentien Brinkhorst of the Netherlands and Prince Daniel of Sweden.
His
wife, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden was not present at the funeral
after her seven-year-old daughter, Swedish Princess Estelle, broke her
leg in a skiing accident in the Alps on January 2.
The
Swedish royal, 42, is lifelong friends with Princess Martha, 48, and
reportedly cancelled all her festive plans to travel to Norway and
support her friend in the wake of her ex-husband's death.
The service was conducted by the bishop of Oslo, Kari Veiteberg.
Outside the cathedral, thousands of people gathered in silence from as early as 6am to pay their own respects.
Maud Angelica Behn (centre left)
and her mother, Norwegian Princess Martha Louise (centre right) stand
behind the coffin of Ari Behn
Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands (C-L) and Prince Daniel of Sweden (C-R) arrive for the funeral of Ari Behn
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and his wife Ingrid Schulerud arrive for the funeral of Ari Behn
Ari's eldest daughter Maud Angelica delivered an emotional eulogy to her late father during the course of the service.
Princess
Martha Louise, and her daughters Emma Tallulah Behn, Leah Isadora Behn
and Maud Angelica Behn then proceeded to place flowers on the casket of
the Princess' ex-husband.
Son-in-law to Norway's King Harold, Ari Behn committed suicide on Christmas Day.
Ari Behn's book 'Inferno',
published in 2018, detailed his struggles with mental health issues and
described the author having headaches, hallucinations and difficulty
breathing
The Norwegian author,
playwright and visual artist died at age 47, leaving behind their three
children Maud, 16, Leah, 14, and Emma, 11. Ari killed himself just a
year after admitting he felt like a 'clown' following the divorce from
the Norwegian royal. He had battled against alcoholism and spoke last
year about feeling 'terrified' with 'devouring anxiety' two years after
his divorce from Princess Märtha Louise.
In
a statement, the Swedish royals said of his sudden death: 'It is with
great sadness that we received the message of Ari Behn's death.
Ari
Behn's book 'Inferno', published in 2018, detailed his struggles with
mental health issues and described the author having headaches,
hallucinations and difficulty breathing.
Reviewers
in Norway said the book 'oozed with despair and sadness' and Behn, who
had previously described drinking from the early afternoon while he was a
royal, worried that he was seen as a 'fool' by the public.
The couple announced their divorce in August 2016, with Martha Louise said the couple had 'grown apart'.
The following year, Behn alleged in an interview that Kevin Spacey groped his genitals during a Nobel Peace Prize party in 2007.
Behn
told Norwegian radio that Spacey, who sat next to him, suddenly said
'hey, let's go out and have a cigarette,' before touching him on the
genitals.
The Norwegian said he
declined Spacey's alleged approach by saying 'maybe later.' Spacey has
not commented on most of the claims against him.
Behn
also wrote several novels and plays, and in 2018 published his last
book, 'Inferno', in which he detailed his mental health struggles.
Princess Martha Louise and Ari Behn
pictured in 2016. The father-of-three separated from Princess Martha
Louise, 48, to whom he was married for 15 years, in 2017
While
promoting the book, he gave an interview to VG in which he was
described as 'terrified and divorced, with a cyst in his ear and
devouring anxiety.'
'I am yesterday's news, even though the world has not yet been told,' he told the newspaper.
'I'm
a clown, at worst. At best, I am a publicist and a public actor. For
many, I'm a fool,' said Behn, who also wrote novels and plays.
In
a statement, the Swedish royals said of his sudden death: 'It is with
great sadness that we received the message of Ari Behn's death.
'We
will remember Ari as the warm, cordial and spiritual man he was. It was
a privilege to get to know Ari. Our thoughts go to his daughters and
family.'
Princess Martha Louise announced in May 2019 that she was in a relationship with Verrett.
