Careful of your step, Princess Victoria! Swedish royal struggles to keep her balance as she wades through a marsh in snowshoes

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden looked in great spirits as she visited Store Mosse National Park in Värnamo in the south of the country on Thursday. 

The royal, 46, seemed to be having a lot of fun as she donned red plastic snowshoes to wade through a marsh. 

She opted for a very casual and practical look, sporting relaxed jeans and a grey parka jacket. 

The mother-of-two couldn’t hold back her laughter as she nearly fell over in the shoes – while the bottom of her jeans had clearly suffered from falling into the area.

While other European royals – such as Queens Letizia of Spain and Maxima of the Netherlands – have made headlines this week for their grand ensembles at royal banquets, Victoria put on a very different display in her outdoorsy gear. 

She seemed to have opted for a bare-faced look, while her brunette tresses were pulled back into a messy bun. 

Victoria, who is the heir apparent to the Swedish throne as the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf, later sat down by the edge of a lake to warm up with a hot drink, and spoke to locals working at the reserve. 

Speaking to Swedish outlet SVT, she said: ‘It’s great fun to be here. It’s probably the first time I’m here to experience this incredible offering of nature. 

‘If you don’t have a relationship with nature, you won’t take care of it either. It is something I constantly want to highlight.’

She added that the nature reserves are important for recreation, to move freely and for our ‘inner selves’. 

Store Mosse has the largest boggy ground south of Lapland, and is an important nature reserve for birds and other wildlife. 

The park – which was inaugurated in 2002 by the King – offers guided snowshoe tours in the summer, in which Victoria was taking part. 

Victoria seemed to have opted for a bare-faced look, while her brunette tresses were pulled back into a messy bun

She appeared in very good spirits and couldn’t stop laughing as she nearly fell over in the shoes

Victoria sat down to enjoy a hot drink to warm up – but the bottom of her trousers had clearly fallen victim to the area

During the tour, visitors study the various peat mosses and plants in the bog, as well as taking part in bird watching.  

The princess is planning to visit all 30 national parks in the country over the next few years, and has previously visited Sonfjället National Park.  

The Swedish government has reduced funding for the management of nature reserves and national parks in the country by more than 60 per cent since 2022 and the government has been met with criticism for curbing green policies in general. 

And more than 750 million krona (£55million) is missing every year to look after these areas, according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.  

On Wednesday, Crown Princess Victoria dressed for the occasion in an ocean blue suit to discuss marine conservation in Stockholm – again showing her great love and passion for the outdoors. 

The heir to the Swedish throne may have been practising the new phenomenon of so-called method dressing, as her visit to the Sanga-Saby Hotel in the Swedish capital saw her meet with seafood companies in the SeaBOS group to discuss sustainable production and ocean conservation. 

The companies come together to research and set sustainable goals for the sector. SeaBOS connects wild capture fisheries, feed producers and aquaculture businesses across Asia, Europe, and North America.

Victoria swept her brunette tresses up into a low bun that she fastened in place with a black clip and opted for simple silver jewellery – diamond studs and horseshoe necklace.

The mother-of-two plans to visit all 30 national parks in Sweden over the next few years

The royal, 46, donned relaxed jeans and a parka jacket as she met some of the locals

She looked in high spirits as she greeted those attending the event and posed for pictures with Henrik Osterblom, Science Director at SeaBOS, Martin Exel, Managing Director. 

The Princess has demonstrated that she’s passionate about protecting the ocean, as she has previously joined the UN in discussions about preserving marine wildlife. 

In a speech she made at the Stockholm Resilience Centre event in 2017, she said: ‘Do what you can, do it wisely, and most importantly do it now. 

‘A healthy ocean is not a luxury item. It is a necessity for survival. And taking care of the ocean means taking care of ourselves.’

Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel and their children Princess Estelle, 12, and Prince Oscar, eight, recently spent some quality family time during the Easter break in Palma, Mallorca.

Victoria and Daniel returned to royal duties last Monday and attended a diplomatic reception with the King and Queen.

The Swedish royals are now preparing for a state visit from Finland on the 23 April, where they will host President of Finland Alexander Stubb and his wife Suzanne Innes-Stubb.

The visit will last for two days and take place in Stockholm and Gothenburg.