Death & Funeral of Ari Behn: December 25, 2019/January 3, 2020

[iceflower]

Please stay respectful towards the people you discuss. A number of posts and replies to them have been removed. Thank you for your understanding!

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Ari Behn will be buried to Vår Frelsers gravlund (Cemetery of Our Saviour) in Oslo at the request of his family. This confirms the family spokesperson Geir Håkonsund to VG. He also states that the family does not want to specify the time the urn is buried.
Her skal Ari Behn gravlegges – VG

I thought he had been cremated? Anyway, I am relieved the burial will take place in privacy and secrecy.

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

A lovely gesture to bury Ari in the Cemetery of Our Saviour.

 

[Somebody]

I thought he had been cremated? Anyway, I am relieved the burial will take place in privacy and secrecy.

He has been; if I understand it correctly it is about the burial of the urn with his ashes (otherwise he would have been buried by now).

 

[Moonmaiden23]

How sad. What a waste. RIP Ari.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Well, I don't know what happened in this thread on Tuesday, but I do know that some posters here have reacted on the many tributes to Ari by Norwegian commentators/journalists.

But did the Norwegian media go over the top in their praising of him? Yes, IMO, they did! And as one can read in post 386, they have been criticized for it by both a specialist-psychologist and the General Secretary of Norway's support association for those left behind after suicide.

And to those who may wonder why the media did it? Well, IMO, there are two main reasons:
1. Because there was a lot to praise him for (see my other posts).
2. Because they had a bad conscience for not doing it enough when he was alive.

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"Ari Behns parents reveals details of their son's last days and death in a new interview: - Ari was to celebrate Christmas with the royal family, but canceled only days before. - It was Ari Behn's father, Olav, who found his son dead in Ari`s house in Lommedalen."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1216983051529527296

Thanks!

Yes, Olav Bjørshol (born 1952) and Marianne Solberg Behn (born 1953) gave an interview to the Norwegian magazine ''Se og Hør.''

Dagbladet article (link) - Google translation (link).

(BTW, Dagbladet and Se og Hør have the same owners, which is why celebrity-related articles written by the same journalist appear on both their websites.)

Some translated points from me.

Marianne:
Says this about the family's openness: ''Ari var en kjent person. Vi valgte å si det som det var, for ikke å skape spekulasjoner - og med håp om å kunne være til hjelp for andre.''
''Ari was a well-known person. We chose to say it as it was, for not to create speculation - and with the hope of being at help to others'' (yes, I could have written ''with the hope of being able to help others,'' but not what she said).

Also said that Ari in recent years had felt both: ''Sorg, smerte, lidelse - og alle de andre store og sterke følelsene."
''Grief, pain, suffering - and all the other big and strong feelings.''
(Would be wrong of me in this context to translate the word ''store'' to ''great'' or ''large,'' so I went with ''big.'')

She continues on to say: ''Han måtte aldri være alene med det han har slitt med. Utfordringene hans har ikke kommet helt ut av det blå.''
''He never had to be alone with what he struggled with. His challenges have not come completely out of the blue.''
She adds that he received professional help from both therapists and other people - when the illness was at its worst.

Olav:
''Det var jeg som fant ham. I dag er jeg svært takknemlig for at jeg fikk være hos ham.''
''It was I who found him. Today I am very grateful that I got to be with him.''

He goes on to tell that Ari was supposed to have celebrated Christmas Eve (the main day of celebrations in Norway) at The Royal Lodge as a guest of the Regent-Couple, but that he felt too ill to attend. It was then decided that he should travel to Larkollen and celebrate with his parents instead. But this plan never came to fruition either, so his father decided to travel to his son early on Christmas Eve.

He says: ''Ari var ikke alene da han valgte å avslutte livet. Det virket som om Ari hadde funnet en slags ro den siste dagen.''
''Ari was not alone when he chose to end his life. It seemed like Ari had found some kind of calm on the last day.''

----------------

Pressemøte (press-meeting) with CP Regent Haakon during a visit to The Norwegian Refugee Council on Jan 13th (VG-video - link):

NRK: Wanted to know how the family was doing?
CP Haakon: ''Ja, takk! Det har jo vært en tung periode disse siste par ukene, men vi prøver jo så godt vi kan å ta vare på hverandre da, midt oppe i alt sammen.''
''Yes, thanks! It's been a heavy period these last couple of weeks, but we try as best we can to take care of each other, in the middle of everything.''

VG: Wanted to know how the RF experienced the funeral and the time afterwards?
CP Haakon: ''Som jeg sa så har det jo vært en tung tid, men det viktige for oss som familie er jo å komme sammen og forsøke å ta vare på hverandre så godt vi kan.''
''As I said (to NRK), it's been a heavy time, but the important thing for us as a family is to come together and try to take care of each other as best we can.''

But VG wasn't done and packed in two questions in one:
1. How does the Crown Prince think the time and focus afterwards has been?
2. There has been a lot of personal focus in the royal family now (and yes, the reporter said ''in,'' not ''on,'' so not an error on my part). How do you (the family) handle it?
A somewhat tense CP Haakon (well, who can blame him) smiled while he said: ''Jeg tror ikke jeg skal gå mer inn på det, men jeg synes jo det er hyggelig at veldig mange støtter, og vi opplever jo at vi får mye hyggelig støtte da, og det setter vi pris på.''
A bit tricky to translate this to English without the last part not sounding a little weird, but let's try: "I don't think I should go more into that, but I do think it's nice that very many support us, and we are experiencing it and appreciating it."

Without any changes from me, it would have sounded like this, which is what he actually said: ''I don't think I should go more into that, but I do think it's nice that very many support us, and we find (can't use the word ''experience'' here) that we get a lot of nice support, and we appreciate that.''

(And yes, I could have written ''there are a lot of people who support us,'' but not what he said.)

Also tried to put it through google translate, but that sounded even weirder, so...

BTW, The CP Regent was also asked about The King, who was admitted to hospital on Jan 8th and discharged on Jan 15 (read about it in this thread - link).

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Message from the RF on the RH website on Jan 13th (English link).

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I thought he had been cremated? Anyway, I am relieved the burial will take place in privacy and secrecy.

As the poster ''Somebody'' said, he was cremated! ?

And let's go through what LadyFinn translated:

Ari Behn will be (1) buried to Vår Frelsers gravlund (Cemetery of Our Saviour) in Oslo at the request of his family. This confirms the family spokesperson Geir Håkonsund to VG. He also states that the family does not want to specify the time the urn is buried.
Her skal Ari Behn gravlegges – VG

1. Yes, here VG uses the word ''gravlegges/gravlagt'' (''buried'').
2. Here they use the word ''urnenedsettelse,'' which means to put the urn down to the ground.


BTW: Another thing to mention is that among the people who have been laid to rest at ''Vår Frelsers gravlund'' (''Our Savior's Graveyard'') are several ''historical'' Norwegians such as Henrik Ibsen (English Wikipedia article - link), Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (English Wikipedia article - link), Edward Munch (English Wikipedia article - link), Henrik Wergeland (English Wikipedia article - link) and Johan Sebastian Welhaven (English Wikipedia article - link).

 

[SLV]

He goes on to tell that Ari was supposed to have celebrated Christmas Eve (the main day of celebrations in Norway) at The Royal Lodge as a guest of the Regent-Couple, but that he felt too ill to attend. It was then decided that he should travel to Larkollen and celebrate with his parents instead. But this plan never came to fruition either, so his father decided to travel to his son early on Christmas Eve.

He says: ''Ari var ikke alene da han valgte å avslutte livet. Det virket som om Ari hadde funnet en slags ro den siste dagen.''

''Ari was not alone when he chose to end his life. It seemed like Ari had found some kind of calm on the last day.''

That is interesting to read. So Ari did it in the presence of his father?
Is there no inquest whether he helped his son, and whether he may have done something illegal.
After all this, I hope that they will not have to go through something like that.

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Oh no...this sounds...disturbing.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

That is interesting to read. So Ari did it in the presence of his father?

I won't speculate! But as you can read in my post, he first said that he ''found'' him, which indicates that what he meant with ''Ari not being alone,'' was just him (Olav I mean) being in another room or out for a little while.

Is there no inquest whether he helped his son, and whether he may have done something illegal.

Not that I've heard! But pretty sure the police have done their stuff!

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Maybe he found Ari dying, but not yet dead. In that case yes, it is comforting to learn that he was not alone.

But as others have pointed out, it is useless to speculate about what happened now.

Whether he died alone or not, the outcome was final and irreversible.

 

[Countessmeout]

I find the suggestion he watched his son commit suicide horrible at best.

All the talk is how Ari was all alone. How he had no one with him at Christmas. People on this board suggesting that seeing ML with her new boyfriend may have been too much as he was depressed and alone.

The comment by his dad seems more a response to that. Ari was not alone. His father had come to be with him for Christmas. No sinister connotation his father may have helped. But that he was in town and staying with his son.

Sadly people commit suicide with their family in the next room every day. Don't always wait until alone completely. Sad his father was the one to find him. Only the worse woukd have been one of his daughters.

 

[Alisa]

Well it sounds like Ari was very ill and in a deep and dark place when he ended his life.

After all, he canceled his Xmas invitation at The Royal Lodge which I imagine would be very happy and lively with so many people around.

I doubt Märtha Louise's new boo played a part in Ari's decision. After all, he too had moved on and was himself in a relationship with his girlfriend.

I feel infinitely sad for his father. I imagine it is a parent's worse nightmare to have bury their child. Let alone find their child dead.. :-(

 

[SLV]

That is how I read RoyalNorways post, but things get lost in translation. And I am glad to be wrong.

 

[eya]

"Maud Angelica Behn was today honored for her openness on mental disorders & suicide. She received an award during the Acute Psychiatry Conference.

"The jury's statement states: “In your grief, you choose to share. Your strong words strike us all with great force»."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1225454010976657411

 

[polyesco]

Maud was certainly very strong, well deserved.

 

[Alex the VI]

Very brave girl who will turn into a beautiful and caring woman!

 

[Lady Daly]

So courageous Maud Angelica Behn!
https://www.psykologforeningen.no/f...elt/akuttpsykiatripris-til-maud-angelica-behn

 

[SLV]

Very deserving.

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

Well done Maud! A well deserved award indeed. ?

 

[Muhler]

More on why the jury chose Maud:
I din sorg velger du å dele. Dine sterke ord treffer oss alle med stor kraft. Du åpner hjertet ditt og retter blikket også mot andre. Du setter ord på smerten og formidler håp. Det ligger et stort hjertelag ved å bruke kirkerommet, media og den offentlige siden i det aller mest private til å snakke om psykiske lidelser og hvor viktig det er å be om hjelp.

Du er opptatt av at selvmord ikke er en løsning og at selv i livets mørkeste øyeblikk finnes det en annen utvei. Med dine ord formidler du et budskap som gjør en forskjell.»

"In your grief, you choose to share. Your strong words hit us all with great force. You open your heart and also direct you gaze towards others. You put words on the pain and express a sense of hope. It takes a great heart to use the church-venue, the media and the public in what is the very most private thing to address: Mental afflictions and how important it is to ask for help.
You are aware that suicide is not a solution and that even in life's darkest moments, there is another way out. With your words you bring forward a message that makes a difference."

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Thanks, Eya, Lady Daly & Muhler!

And as Polyesco, SLV and HereditaryPrincess were saying, very deserved indeed.


''Akuttpsykiatriprisen'' (''The Acute Psychiatry Prize'') BTW is awarded annually and is on 10.000 NOK.

And to those who might be wondering about the two women on the photo with Maud (taken by Princess Märtha Louise) in post 407? Well, that's specialist-psychologists, Karoline Lindqvist and Camilla Heggland, who are both members of the jury.

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That is how I read RoyalNorways post, but things get lost in translation. And I am glad to be wrong.

That may be, but not in mine of course! LOL.

And if I need to change some of the words/wordings to make it more readable in English, then I will offer two translations:
1. An edited one.
2. An unedited one.

But that was not necessary with the stuff from Olav Bjørshol since it was pretty easy to translate.

And BTW, let's go through it again:

Olav:
''Det var jeg som fant ham. I dag er jeg svært takknemlig for at jeg fikk være hos ham.''
''It was I who found him. Today I am very grateful that I got to be with him.''

He goes on to tell that Ari was supposed to have celebrated Christmas Eve (the main day of celebrations in Norway) at The Royal Lodge as a guest of the Regent-Couple, but that he felt too ill to attend. It was then decided that he should travel to Larkollen and celebrate with his parents instead. But this plan never came to fruition either, so his father decided to travel to his son early on Christmas Eve.

He says: ''Ari var ikke alene da han valgte å avslutte livet. Det virket som om Ari hadde funnet en slags ro den siste dagen.''
''Ari was not alone when he chose to end his life. It seemed like Ari had found some kind of calm on the last day.''

The bolded stuff in the first part (which you didn't include in your quote from me) says that he found him, while the third part says that Ari was not alone, which together (as I wrote in my reply to you in post 399) indicates that Olav was in another room or just out for a little while.

And that's it, with speculation from me in this thread! ?


Now to another interview with Marianne and Olav, who were among the guests during an episode of the Norwegian-Swedish talk show Skavlan which was broadcast on SVT1 in Sweden on Jan 24 and on TV2 in Norway on Jan 25.

TV2 article with video (link). - Google translation (link).

And some translations/summaries from me:

But before we start, be aware that:
1. The journalist who wrote the article has made some changes to what Marianne and Olav were saying. Something that's quite common here when it comes to writing down TV interviews, and that's probably because the journalists want to make it more reader-friendly. But anyway, I prefer to translate what people are actually saying, not some edited stuff from a TV2 journalist! And that's why the Norwegian quotes below are taken directly from the broadcast and not the article!
2. Yes, I could have written the English stuff better, but I wanted it to be as identical as possible with what Marianne and Olav said in Norwegian, hence some weirdness in the sentences.

About the public reaction to Ari's death.
Marianne: ''Det har vært overveldende hvordan folk har kommet og hatt sin egen sorg oppi vår sorg. - Og har kommet med historier fra hvordan de har møtt Ari, og...
Det har i hvert fall bekreftet opplevelsen av at han har hatt en egen evne til å møte mennesker.''

''It's been overwhelming how people have come and had their own grief up in our grief. - And have come up with stories from how they met Ari, and...''
(Yes, I could have written: ''And have shared stories about how they met Ari,'' but not what Marianne said.)
''It has at least confirmed the experience that he has had his own ability to meet people.''


About the family's openness about Ari's suicide.
Marianne: Said that Ari's death was the ''biggest shock'' of her life and that she had previously experienced that two of her fellow students at a Eurythmy School (within a short period of time) took their own lives: ''Det ble helt sementert. Vi snakket aldri om det. Vi hadde en liten brif med en prest, og det var det. Og jeg vet at det skapte mye frykt og angst i meg og i mine medelever fordi vi ikke delte det. Så instinktivt var det noe med å dele det som er helt grusomt å dele, og veldig smertefullt og tungt.''

''It was completely *cemented* (means locking or confirming attitudes, perceptions or a situation). We never talked about it. We had a little chat with a priest and that was it. And I know it created a lot of fear and anxiety in me and in my fellow students because we didn't share it. So instinctively there was something about sharing what is absolutely cruel to share, and very painful and heavy.''
She went on to say that since Ari was who he was, they knew that questions would be asked and that they, therefore, wanted to avoid speculation.


About how Ari handled to be alone after the divorce from Princess Märtha Louise.
Marianne: Said that although he spent much time together with his girls also after the divorce (he and Märtha had shared custody), he longed after it being the five of them (i.e. he, Märtha, Maud, Leah and Emma).


About Ari's mental health.
When asked whether it had come gradually or suddenly, Olav said: ''Det var nok en langsom prosess, på en måte.''
''It was a slow process, in a way.''

Marianne: Said that Ari has always been very open and that he had talked to her about ''bad and good feelings'' for a ''very long'' time, but that ''the bad feelings at some point took more over''
Also said (after being asked) that she felt his mental and physical problems were ''related,'' but that she didn't want to go more into the latter.
(One can read more about his physical problems in post 387).


And asked whether they had feared suicide, they said:
Marianne: ''I en periode så var jeg engstelig for det. Og nå er jo jeg vant til å arbeide med mennesker, så jeg hadde jo en naturlig warning på det. Og vi snakket om det, så klart. Og han var jo også innnenfor et hjelpeapparat, men på den siste tiden nå så hadde jeg vel lagt alarmen ned, på en måte.''

''For a while, I was anxious about that. And since I'm used to working with people, I had a natural warning on it. And we talked about it of course (she and Ari). And he was also within a support system, but lately, I had *probably* (can also use the word *perhaps*) put the alarm down, in a way.''
(The bolded word: She said ''nå,'' which means ''now'' in English, but in this context, it is best translated to ''since.'')

Olav: ''Han var så litterær, så her blander fakta og fiksjon seg.
Og så... Å nei, selvfølgelig. Det kommer ikke til å skje. Nei, nei. Og så la man ned guarden, og så...
Og så kommer det som lyn fra klar himmel som spjærer alt liksom.''

''He was so literary, so here the facts and fiction are mixing'' (Yes, I could have written: ''so he was mixing facts and fiction,'' but not what Olav was saying.)
Olav thought: ''And then... Oh no, of course. That will not happen. No, no.
And then one lets down the guard, and then...
And then it comes like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky that rips everything.''


About Ari's suicide.
Olav: Said that he and Ari had a calm Christmas Eve and that when he asked his son what he wanted for food, the answer was ''Pizza Grandiosa'' (the most popular frozen pizza in Norway).
Olav continued: ''Vi var egentlig i ferd med å dra til Larkollen første juledag, men da var roen borte.''
''We were actually about to travel to Larkollen (where he and Marianne lives) on *the First Day of Christmas* (the English name for Dec 25 in Norway), but then the calmness was gone.''

He also talked about the interview he and Marianne did with the Norwegian magazine ''Se og Hør'' (which one can read parts of in post 396), saying: ''Grunnen til at jeg sa at jeg var sammen med han, er fordi jeg ville ikke at det skulle bli et sånt bilde av at han var ensom og forlatt.''
''The reason I said I was with him is because I didn't want it to be a picture of him being lonely and abandoned'' (which means that Countessmeout was right in post 401).

And as one can see from the Norwegian text, he used the word ''sånt'' (which in this context means ''such'') before the word ''bilde'' (''picture''), but that sounds a bit weird in English, so I left it out.


About their grief.
Olav: ''Vi prøver å hele oss. Vi vet ikke om vi skal isolere oss eller om vi skal gå ut.''
''We are trying to heal. We don't know whether to isolate ourselves or to go out.''

''Marianne: ''Jeg føler meg på gyngende grunn. Dette sjokket som skjedde for kort tid siden skapte jo en sånn enorm revne i meg. Å leve i det er jo utrolig utfordrende, fordi det har vært så mye som kommer opp innenfra.''

''I feel myself on a rocking ground. This shock that happened a short time ago created such a huge rift in me. Living in it is incredibly challenging, because there has been so much coming up from within.''

Also said she can feel anxiety one day and anger on the other, but that she and the family are on a slight start back to everyday life again. - And that they are taking care of each other and starting to remember the good memories.

They also spoke about Ari's kindness, his sensitivity and how brave he was, etc., etc.

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

Thanks ROYAL NORWAY. I'm glad that ML and her family are on the mend slowly but surely. They must be made of strong stuff since it's only been not even two months since his death - I know something like that would leave me raw for a long time.

 

[SLV]

Thank you for the translation RoyalNorway, and I send you a PM.

 

[Tarlita]

Many thanks Royal Norway for taking the time and effort to write all of that. Appreciate it.

 

[Muhler]

While in Jordan, King Harald commented on how the family is coping after the death of Ari Behn:
https://www.vg.no/rampelys/i/QoAyJV/kongen-om-den-tunge-perioden-det-vil-ta-tid

Det vil ta litt tid. Ikke litt heller, tror jeg. Vi har jo tre barnebarn som har mistet faren sin. Så det vil ta sin tid,
Det verste begynner liksom å legge seg, da. Normalisere seg litt

"It will take a little time. Well, not a little, I think. After all we have three grandchildren who have lost their father. So it will take it's time.
The worst (part) sort of starts to settle down. Normalizing a little."

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

You're all very welcome!


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Post 1 of 4.


Quote from post 387, written on January 11th:

Will be back either tomorrow or in a few days time to talk about public funerals in Norway generally, and a few other things (including Ari's funeral service in Oslo Cathedral).

Well, let's do it. I mean, better late than never I suppose.


The funeral service. (BTW, will get to ''public funerals in Norway generally'' in the next three posts, right after this one.)

Since the music and stuff are already explained by others, I won't give a detailed summary, but let's go through some of the guests:

*CP MM's mother, Marit Tjessem (who arrived with the CP-Family).
*One of CP MM's three older siblings, Per Høiby (equerry to The King in the period 1996-1999) and his wife, Louise Dedichen.

Why did they attend?
1. CP MM's family have always been very close to the CP-Family, so only natural that some of them were there to show support. Especially since Haakon/MM and their children have always been very close to Märtha/Ari and their daughters (read more about it in post 387).
2. They had probably met Ari a lot at Skaugum and stuff.

*Four of Princess Astrid's five children (with some of their family members), who have always been close to CP Haakon and Princess Märtha Louise and therefore also to their spouses, i.e. MM and Ari. (BTW, it may be that the fifth one was there too.)

*A bunch of Ari's Norwegian celebrity friends, including the talk show host Fredrik Skavlan (English Wikipedia article - link).

Current/former courtiers.
*Gry Mølleskog, Lord Chamberlain since 2015.
*Lars Petter Forberg, Lord Chamberlain from 1996 to 2004, and a close friend of the RF.
*Berit Tversland, started as a nanny to Haakon and Märtha in 1977 and retired as kabinettsekretær (Cabinet Secretary) at the court in 2012. She lives with her husband on the Skaugum estate and is a close friend of the Regent/CP-Couples and Princess Märtha Louise.
*Marianne Hagen, Communications Manager at the court from 2008 to 2017 and from then, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Spoke very warmly about Ari after his death and had probably asked to be present.

From ''the official Norway'' (as we say it here).
*Tone Wilhelmsen Trøen, President of the Storting (parliament) from the Conservative Party since 2018 (in that capacity, the second-highest ranked person in Norway after the monarch).

The party leaders in the then four-party conservative-led government.
*Erna Solberg, Prime Minister since 2013 (in that capacity, the third-highest ranked person in Norway after the monarch and the President of the Storting) and leader of the (centre-right) Conservative Party since 2004.
*Siv Jensen, Minister of Finance since 2013 and leader of the (right-wing) Progress Party since 2006.
*Trine Skei Grande, Minister of Culture since 2018 (with additional responsibility for religious and life stance affairs until 2019 and from then, equality and discrimination) and leader of the (centred) Liberal Party since 2010. (She left the position as Minister of Culture, Equality and Discrimination and assumed the post as Minister of Education and Integration on Jan 24, 2020, before she left the government altogether on March 13th.)
*Kjell Ingolf Ropstad, Minister of Children, Family, Consumer, Religious and Life Stance Affairs and leader of the (centred) Christian Democratic Party (assumed both positions in 2019).
*Plus Sylvi Listhaug, Minister of Petroleum and Energy since 2019 and deputy leader of the Progress Party since 2018 (no, not a party leader, but wanted to be there since she ''had met Ari several times'').
(BTW, The Progress Party decided on Jan 24 to go out of the government, which means that Jensen and Listhaug are no longer ministers; will perhaps write about it in the constitutional thread when I have the time.)

*Toril Marie Øie, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court since 2016 (in that capacity, the fourth-highest ranked person in Norway after the monarch, the President of the Storting and the Prime Minister).
*Jonas Gahr Støre, leader of the (centre-left) Labour Party since 2014, which is the largest party in opposition (and indeed the country).
*Marianne Borgen, Mayor of Oslo from the (left-wing) Socialist Left Party since 2015.
*Valgerd Svarstad Haugland, County Governor of Oslo and Viken from the Christian Democratic Party since 2019. She came from the position as County Governor of Oslo and Akershus, which she held from 2011 and until the County Governorships of Akershus, Østfold and Buskerud were merged and became the County Governorship of Viken on January 1st, 2019 (the actual counties didn't merge before a year after).
*Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General of NATO since 2014 and Prime Minister of Norway from the Labour Party in the periods 2000-2001 and 2005-2013. He was accompanied by his wife Ingrid Schulerud, Norway's ambassador to Belgium in the period 2015-2019.
*Kjell Magne Bondevik, Prime Minister of Norway from the Christian Democratic Party in the periods 1997-2000 and 2001-2005.
*Bishop Emeritus of Oslo, Gunnar Stålsett (in office 1998-2005). He was the one who conducted the marriage between the CP-Couple at Oslo Cathedral in 2001 and who christened Maud Angelica Behn in 2003 and Princess Ingrid Alexandra in 2004 at the Palace Chapel.
*Bishop Emeritus of Nidaros, Finn Wagle (in office 1991-2008). He was the one who consecrated Their Majesties The King and Queen in 1991 and who conducted the marriage between Märtha and Ari in 2002 at the breathtaking Nidarosdomen (Nidaros Cathedral), the world’s northernmost medieval cathedral and Norway’s national sanctuary (one can read about that church in post 38 in Ingrid's confirmation tread - link - but be aware that some of the photos posted there are no longer available).


Maud Angelica's speech:

A video of Maud's speech with English subtitles can be seen here:

Thanks! And this is a *must-see* BTW.

Reactions to her speech from commentators in the Norwegian media: ''One of the best and strongest speeches ever held in Norway, which will be remembered for a long time,'' etc., etc.

From the experts:

Secretary-General of the Norwegian Council for Mental Health, Tove Gundersen: ''By giving a face to bereaved generally, Maud Angelica has touched the entire nation.''

Secretary-General of Norway's support association for those left behind after suicide, Terese Grøm: ''A message that went far beyond her own grief.''

Specialist-Psychologist for National Centre for Suicide-Research and Prevention, Fredrik Walby: Said live on TV2 News Channel that he was ''a bit speechless'' (and I couldn't agree more).

Førstelektor (First-lecturer) in rhetoric at Kristiania University College, Kjell Terje Ringdal: ''Some of the most impressive I've heard in my life.''

Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Opposition Leader Jonas Gahr Støre also praised the speech, saying that it would probably help others.

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Information about Oslo Cathedral: English Wikipedia article (link).

Its association with Royal funerals: Queen Maud 1938, Crown Princess Märtha 1954, King Haakon VII 1957 and King Olav V 1991.

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TV-coverage of the funeral, which was filmed by an NRK pool.

NRK1: From 11:30 to 15:00. Presented by news anchor, Atle Bjurstrøm (born 1974), who also presented the NRK coverage of The King's 70th Birthday celebrations in 2007 and the two latest ''Year with the Royal Family'' programmes. Always been very pro-monarchy in his style and was joined in the studio by NRK's royal correspondent/commentator/expert, Kristi Marie Skrede and NRK's culture-commentator, Agnes Moxnes (writes more about these two in post 385). - Plus that there were reporters outside the church.

Talked about: Well, everything from Ari's career to his mental health and the reactions to his death.

See it here (link).

TV2: From 11:00 to 14:00 (and live on TV2 News Channel throughout the day). Presented by news anchor, Elin Ludvigsen (in her mid to late 40s I think). Always been very pro-monarchy in her style, and has together with TV2's now late royal expert/commentator Kjell Arne Totland, covered several Norwegian royal events, including The Regent-Couple's joint 80th Birthday celebrations in 2017.
Was joined in the studio by royal historian and author, Trond Norén Isaksen (writes more about him in post 385) and various guests, including Se og Hør's royal correspondent/expert, Caroline Vagle (also written about in post 385); Specialist-Psychologist for National Centre for Suicide-Research and Prevention, Fredrik Walby and Secretary-General of Norway's support association for those left behind after suicide, Terese Grøm. - Plus that there were reporters outside the church.

Talked about: The same as at NRK, but more focus on the issue of mental health and suicide generally.

Must be a subscriber to see it, so I won't post it here.

Live online on almost every national news outlets as well, including the two mentioned above and VG and Dagbladet.

And unsurprisingly (after the EXTREME praising of him from the media, his friends and celebrities after his death, which one can read about in post 386), the media coverage of the funeral was very pro-Ari.

BTW, One can get more information about NRK/TV2 and their tv-channels, and the position of some of the newspapers (including VG) when it comes to the monarchy in post 385.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Post 2 of 4.


From post 190 (link):

i agree it shouldn't. this is no state funeral, and his death was a suicide - it is not right to televise it.

From post 197 (link):

I agree that it shouldn’t be broadcasted live for the sake of the children.

They could do like they did at Friso’s funeral in Netherlands and film when the guests arrive/departs the church and having just one camera inside at the organ loft to record a small part of the service with no close up of anyone and no frontal view of the family.

But they shouldn’t broadcast it live, like if it was the funeral of the King or the Queen. That would be wrong in my opinion. The grieving teenage children will be present and should be allowed to have some privacy.

Well, read the stuff I write below, and I reckon that the two of you (and the others who have commented on it) then understand that it doesn't need to be a ''state funeral'' or ''funeral at state expense'' for it to be televised in Norway.


Funerals for public or well-known figures in Norway since the independence in 1905 (which I have previously received some PMs about, so let's, therefore, use my reply to the above posts to go through it):

Statsbegravelser (State funerals):
*Only given to the monarch/consort. I.e. Queen Maud in 1938, Crown Princess Märtha in 1954 (due to her role as first lady after the death of her mother-in-law and thus in a way acting consort), King Haakon VII in 1957 and King Olav V in 1991. (The next ones to receive one will be The King and Queen.)
*Planned/organised by the state (in collaboration with the royal court).
*Consists of a lying in state at the Palace Chapel and a ceremonial procession with military contingents and the coffin on an open car from the Royal Palace to Oslo Cathedral where a televised funeral service will be held. And then in an identical ceremonial procession to Akershus Castle (also in Oslo) for a concluding service in the church there, before the embalmed remains of the monarch/consort are laid to rest in the Royal Mausoleum, which is located in the basement below that church.

And no, a state funeral has not even been given to prime ministers who died in office. I.e. Otto Bahr Halvorsen in 1923 and Peder Ludvik Kolstad in 1932.

BTW, there are some conflicting reports in the media whether Einar Gerhardsen received one at his death in 1987 or not. He was prime minister (from the Labour Party) in the periods 1945-1951, 1955-1963 and (after about a month out of office) from 1963 to 1965. And yes, it was a grand affair (which included a procession with the coffin on an open car in Oslo) due to his efforts in rebuilding the country after WWII. But it was referred to as a ''funeral at state expense'' (not a state funeral) in an article on the Norwegian government-website a few years ago and is therefore also listed as that by Norwegian Wikipedia (unfortunately, that government-article is no longer available). The same was said in an article in the newspaper Aftenposten's print-edition from September 22, 1987 (which is available in their digital archive), where it was stated that the funeral was at ''state expense'' and that it was organised by the Labour Party.

Must also be mentioned that I can't remember his death and funeral myself since I wasn't born before the following year (i.e. 1988), but have seen the TV-broadcast of it, which is still available on the NRK-website.

Begravelse på statens bekostning (Funerals with government honour at state expense):
*Given as an honour, not because the family of the diseased doesn't have the money to pay for it themselves.
*Paid by the state but planned by the family. (If the deceased was a politician or a military-man/woman, the planning/organisation will happen in cooperation with a political party or the armed forces.)
*Usually televised and attended by a member (or members) of the Royal Family/government (if it's OK with the family of the deceased) and held in the church chosen by the deceased or her/his family.
*Been given to (among others) leading statesmen (including sitting/former prime ministers and sitting ministers); a few veterans; cultural workers such as writers, actors, composers, etc.; and a few athletes. (It was also given to former/sitting Presidents of the Storting, but that was changed in 2009, when it was decided that this was to be covered by the parliament and not the state.) However, since the current government came to power in October 2013, the practice has been much stricter and has only been given to five people:
1. Samuel Steinmann in 2015. Was the last Norwegian survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and used his time after that to give lectures about it (No English Wikipedia article on him).
2. Wilhelm Mohr in 2016. Served as aviation officer during WWII (read about him here - English Wikipedia article - link).
3. Odvar Nordli in 2018. Prime Minister of Norway (from the Labour Party) in the period 1976-1981 (read about him here - English Wikipedia article - link).
4. Joachim Rønneberg in 2018. Norwegian Army officer and broadcaster, known for his resistance work during WWII (read about him here - English Wikipedia article - link).
5. Ragnar Ulstein in 2019. Norwegian journalist, writer and member of the resistance movement from WWII (read about him here - English Wikipedia article - link).

It's up to the incumbent prime minister to decide who gets it or not, and it often leads to reactions in the media when not given. - Which is probably why current prime minister Erna Solberg and her office have decided to only give it to (former) prime ministers and people associated with WWII.

BTW, here is an *incomplete* list from Norwegian Wikipedia (link) that covers funerals at state expense from 1881 to 2019.

Google translation (link).

Private funerals:
If we are talking about very well-known people (such as Ari, and in some cases people who aren't even a household name), then it's pretty usual here that the media contacts the family and ask if they can broadcast it, and in many cases, this is granted.

The last 6 times we saw it was for:

1. The 63-year-old musician, Frode Magnus Viken who died on March 31st, 2018 after a long battle with cancer. He was a songwriter and guitarist in the successful Norwegian rock band D.D.E. (which was founded in 1992), where he wrote most of the melodies and several of the texts. And although everyone in Norway knows about the band and its front-singer Bjarne Brøndbo, I won't call Viken a household name.
Funeral: Took place at Namsos Church in Namsos on April 10th and was conducted by priest Petter Normann Dille and sent live on NRK1, TV2 News Channel and online on almost every national news outlets.

2. The 77-year-old Pop-art-painter, Terje Brofos (better known by the stage name Hariton Pushwagner) who died on April 24th, 2018 after a short battle with lung cancer. He struggled with alcohol and drugs for years and ended up on the street until he in 1999 was taken in by a man with the name Stefan Stray who from then became his assistant/manager. Stray got him back on his feet career-wise and, during the last two decades, Pushwagner became one of Norway's best-selling artists. However, I think it would be a bit much to describe him as a household name.
Funeral: Took place at the art-centre and gallery ''Kunstnernes Hus'' (''The Artists' House'') in Oslo on May 7th and was sent live on NRK2 and TV2 News Channel and online on almost every national news outlets.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Post 3 of 4 (to understand any of this, read post 2 first).


3. The 87-year-old Labour politician and diplomat, Thorvald Stoltenberg who died on July 13th, 2018 after a short battle with cancer. Served among other things as Minister of Defence (1979-81), Norway's ambassador to the UN (1989-90), UN High Commissioner for Refugees (January-November 1990), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1987-89 and 1990-93), UN Peace Negotiator in former Yugoslavia (1993-96), Norway's ambassador to Denmark (1996-99) and President of the Norwegian Red Cross (1999-2008). Known for his extremely good people skills and for being (as the commentators said it) ''just so incredibly pro at being a good person.'' - Both when it came to him hugging and talking with strangers in the street, him taking phone calls (for free) from people who needed comfort or someone to talk to (which he regarded as an honour and which made him very happy) and the way he fought for the rights of the weak in society, including drug addicts and their families (which was very much due to his personal struggle in helping his now late drug-addict-daughter, Ninni). And all this made him widely admired and respected by both sides of the political spectrum here.
Another thing to mention is that he continued to live a public and busy life with lecture-giving around the country and interviews to journalists until almost the very end.
(And yes, he is the father of the current secretary-general of NATO and former prime minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg.)

Funeral: Took place at Oslo Cathedral on August 2nd and was conducted by priest Sturla Stålsett (son of the former bishop of Oslo, Gunnar Stålsett) and attended by The King, Queen, Princess Astrid, the President of the Storting, all the party-leaders in the Government (which includes the Prime Minister) and several others from the official Norway. - And sent live on NRK2, TV2 News Channel and online on almost every national news outlets.
Under previous governments: Would most likely have been at state expense.

4. The 38-year-old former cross-country skier, Vibeke Skofterud who died on July 29th, 2018, due to an accident with her water scooter. And although cross-country skiing being perhaps Norway's most popular professional sport and Skofterud therefore pretty well known, she was not among our absolute best competitors and I think it would be a bit much to say that she was a household name.
Funeral: Took place at Eidsberg Church in the former municipality of Eidsberg on August 9th and was conducted by priests Runo Lilleaasen and Magnus Grøvle and sent live on NRK1, TV2 News Channel and online on almost every national news outlets.

5. The 94-year-old television chef, Ingrid Espelid Hovig who died on August 3rd, 2018, due to frailty caused by her age. Recorded more than 300 episodes of her popular cooking programme ''Fjernsynskjøkkenet'' (''The Television-kitchen'') on NRK from 1964 to 1998 and was referred to by the commentators as ''hele Norges matmor'' (''the whole of Norway's food-mother'' or ''culinary mother'') and as the one who taught a whole nation to cook. She was also the author, editor, facilitator or promoter of some fifty cookbooks that have sold hundreds of thousands of copies. And continued to give interviews (etc) until after she turned 90, when she became too frail.
Funeral: Took place at Frogner Church in Oslo on August 20th and was conducted by priest Elisabeth Thorsen and attended by the then Minister of Culture, Trine Skei Grande. - And sent live on TV2 News Channel and online on almost every national news outlets (including NRK).
Under previous governments: Would most likely have been at state expense.

6. The 70-year-old singer and songwriter, Jahn Teigen who died on February 24th, 2020. Was (before and after his death) referred to by the commentators as ''the king of pop in Norway'' and ''Norway's only real popstar'' due to his ''amazing'' voice and a whole bunch of hits (almost every one of them in Norwegian). He kept it going from 1967 to 2006, when he moved to a farm in Sweden (where he lived until his death) to get some peace and quiet. Why? Because the Norwegian media and ordinary people in the street never let him alone - plus that he suffered from SEVERE arthritis (which destroyed his body and later caused his death). But continued to do song-appearances on Norwegian television until 2011 (plus a surprise appearance at the Norwegian final of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2016) and toured Norway in the period 2009-2011 along with his former wife, singer and songwriter Anita Skorgan (born 1958). They were married from 1984 to 1987 (and were in that period referred to as Norway's super-couple) and have one daughter together (art-photographer Sara Skorgan Teigen, which is Jahn's only child). He and Anita continued to be close (both on a personal and professional level) also after the divorce and have described each other as best-friends.

One can watch a 10-min YouTube video of him here (link), where he performs a medley of some of his best-known hits at the Norwegian final of the Eurovision Song Contest (''Melodi Grand Prix'') in 2008, which he himself participated in 14 times and was sent to represent Norway in the international final in 1978, 1982 (where he performed a duet with Anita) and in 1983. And as one can see, his back and fingers are pretty damaged by the arthritis, but as one can hear, that doesn't affect his voice (and as one also can see, it's not soundtrack).

Funeral: Took place at Tønsberg Cathedral in his birth-town Tønsberg on March 11th (the day before Norway went into lockdown due to COVID-19) and was attended by the Minister of Culture Abid Raja and conducted by the Bishop Emeritus of Tunsberg, Per Arne Dahl (yes, the diocese, which consists of 10 deaneries has another name than the town/cathedral). - And sent live on NRK1, TV2 (very rare of the TV2 Group to broadcast such things on their main channel BTW, something they did for Ari as well), TV2 News Channel and online on almost every national news outlets.
Under previous governments: Would most likely have been at state expense.


So not at all strange that it was done for the author, documentary/programme-maker, designer and painter Ari Behn, who in addition was the high profiled son-in-law of the monarch from 2002 to 2017 (and yes, he and Märtha separated in 2016, but the divorce wasn't finalised until the following year). All this combined with him participating in several television shows - plus that he constantly gave interviews made him ''one of Norway's biggest and most well-known culture/media personalities'' (as the commentators described him as both before and after his death). - Which he continued to be also after the divorce (yes, perhaps to an even greater extent than before). And this would have kept the media interested in broadcasting his funeral regardless whether it had been a suicide or not!

And when it comes to Maud, Leah and Emma...well:
1. They weren't filmed up close inside the church.
2. They were probably told that dad meant a lot to many people and that broadcasting the funeral live was a way for those people to be part of it too.
And anyway, Maud holding that speech in front of the cameras and hundreds of unknown faces inside the church shows that at least she was up to it (the service being televised I mean). So kudos to Märtha and Ari for raising her to be (what seems like) such a confident, wise and reflective teenager.


From post 197 (link):

The difference is if i understand it correctly when reading the Norwegian media, is that the Royal Family is not at all involved in arranging this funeral. As far as i understand, it is entirely the Behn-Family (his parents, siblings and possibly daughters). I don’t think the King is involved at all in planning it.

If he was, i don’t think it would have been in Oslo Cathedral. More likely a private family service at the Chapel at the Royal Palace or at Aakershus Castle wich in my opinion would have been better to protect the children.

Hmm:
1. We are talking about a man here who has said that ''we cannot lock ourselves inside and share nothing,'' which is probably why the Norwegian Royal House is the monarchy that allows the cameras in most frequently. So, therefore, it wouldn't surprise me if he was actually the one who advised the family to have it broadcast.
Another thing to mention is that it was most likely the court, on behalf of His Majesty, who asked the bishop of Oslo to conduct the service. Because if not, I think it would have been done by an ordinary priest (either one of those working in the cathedral or one chosen by the family).
2. And pretty sure that both The King, Märtha and the girls were consulted on all details and that they approved everything.
Because if they had had reservations about having a televised funeral in the cathedral, then I'm almost certain that we wouldn't have had one. I mean, Marianne and Olav (Ari's parents) are known to still have a very close relationship with both their grandchildren and the princess, and wouldn't (I think) push through with something against their will.
Remember, Marianne and Märtha met each other (at a course in the Rosen Method) and become friends before the princess met Ari. Yes, it was in fact Marianne who introduced them to each other at her home in Moss, and who said at the time of the separation in 2016 that she was very fond of her former daughter-in-law and that Märtha ''will always be a part of our lives.''

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Post 4 of 4 (the previous 3 were posted right before this one, if you haven't seen them).


From post 188 (link):

I think the funeral shouldn’t be transmitted. That the girls should be able to have some privacy in the church. When Princess Astrid’s husband died - the media was not allowed in the church from the wishes of the family, but they covered the outside.

Yes, but Johan Martin Ferner was a totally private person who (together with his family, i.e. his brother) was the owner of two clothing stores. So he can't be compared to Ari.

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From post 246 (link):

It is remarkable when Mr Behn's funeral will be televised. Princess Ragnhild of Norway, Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom, Prince Friso of the Netherlands, Prince Alexander of Belgium, all examples of funerals with the media on a distance. Now it is Saint Ari. Before and during his marriage he was ridiculed. Things can change fast...

From post 248 (link):

Princess Ragnhild of Norway the daughter and sister of a king had her Funeral Service at the Palace Chapel in Oslo in September 2012,the Princess was laid to rest at Asker Church churchyard.It was a very low profile funeral though the Princess had been out of Norway living in Brazil for many years.

Princess Ragnhild lived in Brazil with her husband Erling Lorentzen from 1953 to her death and was in that period not a working member of the RF or a Royal Highness.
But despite this, the government offered the Lorentzen family a funeral at state expense.
Why? Because:
1. She was the daughter of a monarch (i.e. King Olav V).
2. She still had the title of princess.
3. ''She was a good ambassador for Norway in Brazil, where she also did a lot for charity; and was together with the rest of the RF an important symbol for freedom in Norway during the WWII years'' (to use some of the words of the then Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg).

And although the Lorentzen family said they ''appreciated the offer,'' they declined due to the Princess' wish for a private funeral service in The Palace Chapel (where she was both christened and confirmed).

But anyway, it turned out to be quite a royal and public affair with:
1. Her coffin being greeted by The King, Princess Astrid and guardsmen from His Majesty The King's Guard at Gardermoen military airport.
2. That both the Prime Minister, the President of The Storting (Parliament) and the Mayor of Oslo attended the funeral.
3. That the Norwegian News Agency (NTB) was allowed to film and photograph the ceremony at the airport - plus some parts of the funeral service.

NRK-articles with videos: 1 - [URL="https://www.nrk.no/norge/prinsesse-ragnhild-bisatt-fredag-1.8339230"]2[/URL]


Well, this was it! But will try to be back tomorrow I think. That will be in the CP-family's general news thread, where I will read through all the critical posts about their little easter-ski-trip in April and hopefully have the time to write a reply that I hope will answer some questions there.

 

[LadyFinn]

Ari's mother gave an interview to Dagbladet, it is a paywall article.
Aris mamma_ - Han hadde det så vondt - Dagbladet

Svensk Damtidning about the interview:
Mamma Marianne_ _Så var Aris sista timmar i livet_ _ Svensk Dam
Translation