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Princess Märtha Louise ’s daughter Maud Angelica Behn turned 17 on Wednesday, April 29. The birthday marked Maud’s first since her father Ari Behn’s tragic passing. In honor of her daughter’s special day, Märtha Louise took to her personal social media account to share a moving tribute. The Norwegian royal praised Maud, while also reflecting on her “darkest hour.” Alongside photos of the teenager throughout the years, she penned, “Happy Birthday my darling Maud. You are such an old soul with so much profound wisdom. A fountain of joy and creativity, depth and laughter. You are deeply philosophical and I love the way you perceive the world, taking care of everyone around you, seeing them in depth.”
Märtha Louise continued, “Even in your darkest hour you showed the world how you think of others through sharing your wisdom in your speech at your father’s funeral. Your talent for drawing and painting (which you most definitely don’t have from me😅) exceeds your years. I am so proud of you my darling @3_eyed_cat and love you to the moon and beyond. #birthday#birthdaygirl #17.”
Maud delivered an emotional eulogy at her father’s funeral back in January. “We could never imagine that our own father would leave us. It’s nobody’s fault. We cannot blame ourselves,” she said standing behind her father’s casket inside the Oslo Cathedral. “Suicide is like a deadly disease. Dad must have been so tired that he saw no other way out.” During her remarks, Maud revealed that her dad, who took his own life on Christmas Day 2019 , would call her a “sparkling diamond.” “Everyone deserves love and joy. It is never a weakness to ask for help but strength,” the teen said. “We wish we could give you a very last hug. We love you, Dad - you’re a sparkling diamond, you too.”
Over three months after her ex husband’s passing, Märtha Louise opened up about how her girls, Maud Angelica, Leah, and Emma Tallulah, are coping with the loss of their father . “We in our little family have gone through - and are still going through - a hard time after Ari’s death. The hardest we have been through. Ever since Christmas and even before Covid-19 was a fact of the world, we were in the dark waves of sorrow and I had to find a foothold in the parent role for three fragile, beautiful, vulnerable, fine children who needed me 24/7,” she shared in March.
The Norwegian Princess acknowledged the coronavirus pandemic, adding, “Previous encounters with death have been natural causes. And although death has sometimes come too soon, and although the grief process has been painful, it has nevertheless been peaceful. Clarified. It was not now and has made the process long and sorrowful and of course it will continue well into the future. And now that the world we know has turned its head and everything is uncertain and everyday new and with more physical distance, I see how vulnerable we humans are. But still strong. Because it has struck me through this deep mourning valley, and with the strong presence of the Corona virus on earth as well, that we humans can withstand a great deal.”