Princess Martha Louise of Norway recently shared her emotional journey following the death of her ex-husband, Ari Behn, and her new life with husband Durek Verrett. The princess married Verrett last summer in an intimate, breathtaking ceremony at Hotel Union in Geiranger, Norway. As she prepares to make her life as an American citizen, she is crushed by the news of Behn’s death.
Ari Behn was married to Norwegian princess Martha Louise from 2002 until their separation in 2016. Tragically, he took his own life on Christmas Day of last year, December 25th, 2019. During his life, Behn was candid about his mental health issues, detailing a lifelong battle with chronic depression in a 2009 interview. Martha Louise revealed that she experienced an emotional crisis six months after his passing. As she put it, “After seeing the kids begin to re-achieve, all of a sudden I started to go down. Really depressed.”
Martha Louise doesn’t shy away from a challenge. She has three daughters—Maud, Leah, and Emma—whom she raises with love and strength. She had to dig deep for her own resilience to help them through their darkest hour of loss.
Looking back on her wedding ceremony to shaman Durek Verrett, Martha Louise said she felt overwhelmed by the love shown by everyone gathered for the event. As she said, “There are people rejoicing at our marriage, not just here but around the world.” Their wedding was the couple’s fairytale—surreal, magical, and covered exclusively by HELLO! magazine.
At the civil ceremony, Maud, the oldest daughter, had given her mother away. Verrett honored Martha Louise’s daughters during his speech, stating, “It’s a gift to have Märtha’s girls in my life.” He said many of you will look at your union with suspicion due to my race and her royal bloodline. Yet for countless others, it remains a powerful symbol of hope and new beginnings.
Martha Louise said her reaction after Behn’s death was “an avalanche.” “I felt like I’d been running a marathon every day, and at the same time, I couldn’t sleep, eat, or anything like that. I was exhausted and in a kind of brain fog,” she admitted.
