For Princess Martha Louise and her three daughters, the 2020 holiday festivities were marked by a tragic milestone.
On Christmas Day, the Norwegian royal paid tribute to ex-husband Ari Behn, who died by suicide exactly one year prior at the age of 47. In a message shared to her Instagram, Princess Martha wrote, “This year has been a very different holiday season because Ari, the beloved father of my three girls, is no longer among us. He chose to leave this [planet] last year on this day.”
The royal said that her girls, Maud, 17, Leah, 15, and Emma, 12, took time to honor Ari and the legacy he left behind.
“We celebrated his life today, we cried over his loss and how much we miss him,” Princess Martha continued. “It has been a day of loving whatever is. LIFE hits us all. We can’t avoid it. We have to meet it.”
Princess Martha concluded her message with a request to those enduring a similarly difficult year, writing, “Know you are loved. Know you are needed. Know you are worth the help you can get. Please ask for help. Please express how you are. You are loved.”
