Princess Martha Louise of Norway has opened up for the first time about her “painful” divorce from her husband of 14-years, Ari Behn.
Princess Martha Louise of Norway, and husband Ari Behn arrive at the wedding of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Sofia Hellqvist on June 13, 2015.
The 44-year-old daughter of King Harald of Norway made the news of her split public back in August and while speaking at the centre of alternative therapies site Soulspring, which she co-founded with business partner Elisabeth Nordeng back in 2007, the princess talked of how the end of her marriage has affected her.
She said: “I have the position I have in Norway, which means I have to share the things happening in my life whether positive or negative and, as you know, I’m going through a divorce, which is a very painful period in my life.
“You can work at being more honest with yourself, and then deal directly with your unique and deep feelings. Of course, it is difficult and tedious, but it also means that you can process it and recover faster…Without that knowledge, I would not be here now.”
Princess Martha Louise and Ari Behn on their own wedding day in Trondheim, Norway on May 24, 2002.
The princess wed her Norwegian author husband in a lavish ceremony in Trondheim, Norway back in May 2002 and now they share three daughters together ; Maud Angelica, 14, Leah Isadora, 11, and seven-year-old Emma Tallulah.
The couple announced their separation via a candid statement on August 6 and in it said they plan to share custody of their children.
The statement said: “Life does not always go smoothly. Both Ari and I have experienced this…These days we were mainly apart. We are ending the marriage but we are remaining together in parenthood.
“We have tried everything for a long time and we still cannot be where we were before, making it impossible for us to continue. We feel guilty because we are no longer able to create the safe harbour that our children deserve. But we hope and believe that we will manage to hold on to friendship through what lies ahead.”
Princess Martha Louise of Norway and Emma Tallulah Behn attend a garden party during the Royal Silver Jubilee Tour in June in Norway.
Upon news of the split the King and Queen of Norway also released a statement about their daughter’s marriage breakdown, saying they would still like to maintain a relationship with their son-in-law, Ari.
They said: “There are many who are affected when a marriage is dissolved. It is painful and sad – also for us standing around. We are happy with Ari and we are grateful for all that we as a family have experienced together. We want a good relationship with Ari.”
