With the fairytale wedding of Prince Haakon and the lovely Mette-Marit still fresh in the memory, the Norwegians now have another reason to celebrate. Princess Martha Louise is set to walk down the aisle with her boyfriend, established author Ari Behn, her father King Harald V confirms, though no date for the ceremony has been set.
King Harald first shared the news with Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik on Thursday morning, and was scheduled to make a formal announcement later in the day. The government has reportedly already issued congratulations to the happy couple.
Talk of wedding bells has been in the air for months as the two were spotted holding hands everywhere from Crown Prince Haakon’s August wedding to her 30th birthday celebrations in September. The two spent a four-week holiday in Cornwall this summer and while they’ve remained mum on the relationship, their actions speak volumes.
The couple were first linked early this year shortly after her split from a previous boyfriend. Ari was viewed as a controversial choice – comments he’d made in a TV documentary seem to condone the use of illegal drugs – but it seems the royal family has embraced him. He was a guest at Haakon and Mette-Marit’s Oslo Cathedral wedding ceremony, though he did not attend the dinner afterwards, and also accompanied Martha Louise to Mette-Marit’s 28th birthday festivities.
Behn’s 1999 book Trist Som Faen, or Sad As Hell, was celebrated by critics and readers alike in his native Norway and the 29-year-old has become something of a celebrity. He is currently at work on a documentary about war-torn Afghanistan.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
