THE PRESS CONFERENCE

May 22nd, 2002

In the morning a press conference and a photo session in the garden took place at the royal residence of Stiftsgården in Trondheim. They shared a sofa, held hands and gazed into each other's eyes throughout the press conference. Princess Märtha Louise and Ari Behn arrived at 10:30 bearing a walking staff and told the press that they had made a traditional pilgrimage to their wedding destination Trondheim starting on Monday May 13th and arriving in Trondheim three days later. As tradition says they then walked three times around the Nidaros Cathedral. The couple was pleased they had managed to keep their trek from Sorkmo in Orkdal to Trondheim's Nidaros Cathedral a secret, and made it clear that they had relished the unexpected opportunity to relax and reflect away from the media glare. They said they had walked, been ferried across lakes by row boats and had lived in a tent during the trip. During the trek they read parts of the book 'Kristin Lavransdatter' of Sigrid Undset. They have already started to write a book together about their pilgrimage to Trondheim, and about the experience of the preparations for the wedding.

"I look forward to maintaining the love and respect I feel for Ari now," Märtha Louise said. "To meet life together with someone is wonderful." "To grow and develop together - that must be the dream," Ari Behn added. They had no hesitation when asked if they dared to include the traditional vow to be eternally faithful to each other - "Yes, we do,". Princess Märtha Louise related sensible advice on marriage from her parents. "They said it was very important to find someone you love and respect and can communicate with well". Ari Behn added that he had felt at once that he and Märtha Louise had learned the same childhood values from their parents.

Märtha Louise said that it was not for them to decide if they could have children, but they hoped they would be so lucky.

Martha Louise said royal families across Europe give each other mutual support. "We are a very little group of people who are in the same situation," she said. "We ... meet the other royal families who have exactly the same problems and discuss their ways of dealing with it."

Märtha Louise is convinced that she will be able to separate the roles as a representative of the Royal Family and that of a private business woman. She also pointed to the fact that her official responsibilities in future will be limited, compared to those of the rest of the Royal Family. Märtha Louise will work for the Norwegian tv-channel NRK and will record a Christmas cd with the Oslo Gospel Choir.

Ari Behn said he didn't regret his former lifestyle. "I have had a rich life and met wonderful people. I'm comfortable with what I have done with my life and I want to give something back in my writing." He repeatedly explained that he had not broken with old friends or with a former lifestyle. He said that the transition to his new life as the husband of a princess was a difficult process for those he knew, but that the result would be a circle of close and trusted friends. He admitted that it was "very painful" when former friends sold photographs never meant to be made public. Märtha Louise agreed that he had not dropped friends, but rather old friends had chosen how they would relate to changes in Behn's life. Ari Behn also pointed out that a TV program he made about the dissolute life in Las Vegas had been meant as a criticism of excess, but instead he had become associated with that type of revelry. He said: "That type of life, dealing with lowest and emptiest things in our culture, is bad. That was the message."