Princess Märtha Louise of Norway’s First Husband Died Shortly After a Global Controversy

In September 2024, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, the daughter of King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, married the love of her life, Shaman Durek Verrett. As the couple detailed in their 2025 Netflix documentary, Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story, their road to matrimony was one of resilience. During and after their courtship, the couple faced criticism due to the American healing worker being a Black man.

As depicted in the doc, Märtha Louise and Durek have emerged stronger and have shown their naysayers that their love is built to last. The marriage was the princess's second time walking down the aisle. Here's what to know about Märtha's first husband and their time together.

Before she would marry Durek in a star-studded ceremony, Princess Märtha Louise was happily married to an author named Ari Behn. According to GoodReads, Ari was known for writing several books, including Trist som faen (translated in English as "sad as hell"), and Bakgård in 2006, which means "Backyard" in English.

According to Vogue Australia, Märtha Louise and Ari married in a stunning wedding in Norway in 2002. They went on to have three children: Maud, Leah, and Emma, and remained married for 14 years. However, according to Hello! Magazine, Märtha Louise confirmed that the couple decided to divorce.

"I have the position I have in Norway, which means I have to share the things happening in my life, whether positive or negative, and, as you know, I'm going through a divorce, which is a very painful period in my life," she wrote in a candid statement. "You can work at being more honest with yourself, and then deal directly with your unique and deep feelings. Of course, it is difficult and tedious, but it also means that you can process it and recover faster…Without that knowledge, I would not be here now."

Märtha Louise's ex continued making headlines after their public 2017 divorce. According to the BBC, Ari was among several people who had accused actor Kevin Spacey of sexual misconduct. He confessed in an interview with a Norwegian radio station that the American Beauty star sexually harassed him during an event he had attended in 2007.

"I am a generous person, but this was a bit more than I had in mind," Ari said of the alleged moment.

The author reportedly never took any legal action against Kevin. The actor was later acquitted of all sexual misconduct allegations brought against him. Two years after Ari's case, he died by suicide in December 2019. Authorities found him alone in his home.

Of her ex-husband's death, Märtha Louise spoke about his passing on an episode of the Who's Your Daddy podcast and said she took time processing his passing because she had to be strong for their children.

"I didn't realize it was so physically demanding," the princess said of her grief. "I felt like I'd been running a marathon every day, and at the same time, I couldn't sleep, eat, or anything like that. I was exhausted and in a kind of brain fog."

"After seeing the children start to get back on their feet, after six months, I went into a downward spiral," she added. "Really depressed."