[ad_1]
– It was strong to hear it. He hadn’t heard it before, but he knew she would. She had given the speech to a small circle by the gurney when she was in Ullevål hospital. I was not there, says King Harald in the new book “The King Counts”.
– It was a strong speech. I was proud of her. “That she can do it,” I thought. I couldn’t have done that.
In a moving speech, described as a speech that saved her life, Maud Angelica paid tribute to her father and was also open about the inner darkness that he had struggled with.
As the 16-year-old stood beside her father’s stretcher during the funeral, she addressed other people who have struggled or are struggling.
– I just want to tell everyone who has been through mental illness that there is always a way out. Even if it doesn’t feel that way. There are people who can help. Everyone deserves love and joy. It is not weakness to ask for help, but strength. Never think that you better go, I can promise you it’s so bad.
He himself lost his mother when he was a teenager
IN PAIN: King Harald and Queen Sonja said goodbye to Ari Behn at Oslo Cathedral in January.
Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB
King Harald himself experienced the loss of a father at a young age.
In April 1954, his mother, Crown Princess Märtha, died after an illness, aged just 53. Prince Harald, as he was then, was 17 when he lost a mother with whom he had been very close.
– It was a great loss, says King Harald in “The King Counts.”
– We knew well in advance that there was only one way. Today, medicine has come so far that it could have been cured. That year we stayed home from the Easter trip because she was in the hospital. I’m not quite sure if she even knew how imminent it was. Maybe just as well for her, but I really couldn’t say goodbye.
As with the death of Ari Behn, the death of Crown Princess Märtha left a teenager in deep pain.
– I’ve been thinking about that. That is why I say that I could not have made that speech, says King Harald in the new book.
The King on Ari Behn’s death: – It was a shock
Today, Harald Stanghelle, longtime journalist and editor, launches the book “The King Counts.” In the book, King Harald recounts, among other things, the death of Ari Behn.
Author and artist Ari Behn was married to Princess Märtha Louise for 14 years, until they separated in 2016.
Even after the divorce, Behn maintained contact with the royal family.
The message from the Behn family moved people on the night of the first day of Christmas last year:
“It is with great sadness in our hearts that we, the closest relatives of Ari Behn, must announce today that he has taken his own life.”
Ari Behn should have visited the family in Kongsseteren on Christmas Day, but that did not happen.
– We were together when it happened. It was a shock. We were very surprised, even though we knew he was in trouble. It is painful and takes a long time to get over it. The fact that we were together when we learned of the death meant that we, as grandparents, had the opportunity to get closer to the grandchildren. We have come much closer, says the king in the book.
WITH THE GRAND CHILDREN: Grandfather King Harald loves spending time with his grandchildren, like here when they play yatzy with their grandchildren on the Royal Ship. After Ari Behn’s death, ties with the grandchildren have grown even stronger, the king now says.
Photo: Queen Sonja
– Difficult to find the right words
People immediately requested Slottsplassen, lit candles and put flowers.
King Harald took advantage of the New Year’s speech to thank the support after the death of his former son-in-law.
– We are very affected by the death of Ari Behn this Christmas. It has been warm to experience the compassion of the people and the burning candles at Slottsplassen. There is comfort in all the good memories and beautiful words that have been passed down about the father of three of our beloved grandchildren, he said.
The king also said that sometimes life does not last, and that for some it becomes so dark that not even the love of the closest helps.
– Those who stay must continue living. Poorer, without the one they loved, said the king.
The king says in the new book that he had no doubt that what had happened to Ari Behn should be included in the New Year’s speech.
– But it was difficult to find the right words. He was talking about the father of our grandchildren.
