Soldier Sophie! Countess nervously faces an obstacle course

The Countess of Wessex appeared in high spirits as she took on an obstacle course faced by soldiers today.  

Sophie, 54, sported practical military attire as she watched different regiments from across the Armed Forces compete for the Wessex Cup at the St John Moore Barracks in Winchester.

Not wanting to miss out on the fun, the royal, who shares two children with the Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward, 55, tried her hand at part of the course.

Wearing a camouflage jacket with khaki trousers, as well as a high neck cream jumper, Sophie was seen effortlessly hoisting herself up a set of ropes and climbing up a log pole.

The Countess of Wessex (pictured) appears in high spirits as she takes on an obstacle course faced by soldiers today 

The royal, who shares two children with the Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward, 55, tries her hand at part of the course when attending the Countess of Wessex Cup 

It was safety first for the royal, who kicked her normal stylish wardrobe to the kerb, as she sported a climbing harness and a helmet during the activities.

The annual event sees personnel from The Countess’s honorary military appointments compete against each other in a series of challenges.

Today’s teams included members from Royal Air Force Wittering, Corps of Army Music, 5th Battalion The Rifles and Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps. 

Wearing a camouflage jacket with khaki trousers, as well as a high neck cream jumper, Sophie (pictured right) points to the obstacle course 

It was safety first for the royal, who kicked her normal stylish wardrobe to the kerb, as she sported a climbing harness and a helmet during the activities

 The Countess of Wessex looked in high spirits today at she walked the grounds of Winchester

The royal, who has the honorary title of Air Commodore, Royal Air Force, Wittering, was all smiles throughout the day as she watched the contestants. 

Her visit comes just days after she made an emotional trip to meet with survivors of sexual violence from the Kosovo War. 

Sophie spoke with survivors on the trip, before she stood side-by-side with several people at the Heroinat Memorial, which commemorates sacrifices made by women throughout and after the Kosovo conflict. 

The Countess scales a rope as she completes an Armed Forces obstacle course in Winchester

Wearing her blonde hair securely tied back, the Countess was all smiles during her visit

The beaming mother-of-two appeared ready for action as she took part in the day’s events alongside several soldiers

The Countess appeared in deep concentration as she scaled the rope obstacle in Winchester

The royal went on to open a conference to look into transgenerational trauma as a result of sexual violence in the Kosovo conflict, where she said she’d found the survivor’s stories ‘harrowing’.

In an emotional speech, Sophie said: ‘We must support every survivor. If we are truly taking a survivor-centred approach, we must ensure we are listening and responding to survivors needs.’

The mother-of-two was on a two day visit to the country last week, in an effort to highlight the trauma and stigma faced by survivors of sexual violence in conflict during the Kosovo War in 1998-1999. 

Sophie ditches the camouflage jacket and sports a high neck cream jumper as she prepares to take on the obstacle course

Sophie was all smiles as she watched the teams take on tough physical challenges

Sophie looked highly focused as she watched a command task unfold, as competing servicemen and women battled against each other