Märtha and Ari in New York

[Jacqueline]

A princess in New York

Princess Märtha Louise and author husband Ari Behn will be moving to Manhattan in the autumn, for an undetermined length of time. The couple, who are expecting their first child just after Easter, are hoping for a quiet, anonymous life in the urban crowds.

The pair conceived the idea of a move to New York after they visited Manhattan on their honeymoon. With both of them deeply tied to the cultural scene, the pulse and scope of the metropolis proved irresistible.
The princess and her husband have not decided how long they will stay in Manhattan, saying they will just see how things go. They are looking forward to life as parents there.

"I have never seen so many baby carriages anywhere. In Manhattan a child is not a hindrance, there is hardly a place in the world where babies can have such a sophisticated life as on the upper East side with a view to Central Park," Märtha Louise told Aftenposten in an exclusive interview, though their new address has not yet been decided.

One thing the couple have decided is that the baby's family name will be Behn, since, as the princess remarked "I don't have a surname."

The couple's parents have been informed about the move and approve, and there are no fears about losing touch with the coming grandchild. They will all be invited to visit and long return trips to Norway for summer holidays and Christmas celebrations are also planned.

The spring will be busy for both - Ari Behn has a novel due for delivery before Easter and the princess has a less exact delivery date, with late April-early May the likely time for the birth. In the meantime Ari is taking a course to be as useful as possible during the birth.

"I always thought the pregnancy would be miraculous, and it is while at the same time being so natural. But it is good that it takes some time, even if I feel very ready to become a father," Behn said.

The princess looked back on her first year as a 'private princess', after she surrendered the title of "Her Royal Highness" and her annuity in order to pursue a career.

The recurring debate about her continuing official roles and her work, often involving public performance promoting culture and the arts, is a natural result, and she is not afraid of a new round of arguments when her tax statement is made public.

"I am used to there being attention focused on me. That I pay tax, and that there is greater openness around the royal family's activities, is a art of the modernization of the monarchy," the princess said.

The couple say they can handle the media glare and even find some of the fuss entertaining, but admit that it is harder when the stories have little basis in reality.

The princess said that she had faith in the public's judgment, and believed that tabloid tales of their extravagant lifestyle would not convince readers who knew better. As an example, Behn points out a pair of bathing trunks he bought in Bali for NOK 60 (USD 8.50) which a gossip magazine reported as costing NOK 2700.

Given the tastes and pressures that make up the life of this royal couple, an extended stay in the teeming, stimulating streets of Manhattan have an understandable attraction to a pair that could welcome being lost in the crowd.

Article From: Aftenposten