Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria is going back to school. The future queen will extend her knowledge of global affairs by taking a polar environments class at Stockholm University. A palace official confirmed the royal had added her name to the roster, saying: "She [Victoria] has a great interest in these issues, and now she can receive further training in this area."
Her new course mixes business with pleasure; When Victoria becomes head of state her repertoire will need to be wide and varied. But the Crown Princess, who is mum to one-year-old Estelle, also has a personal interest in the topic of climate change. Like many other European royals, she has turned her attention to the Scandinavian isle of Greenland to observe the effects of global warming on arctic environments. In 2009, she joined her friends and fellow royals Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit of Norway on an expedition to the country, which forms part of Denmark and is the largest island in the world. Victoria has of course become a mother since the three heirs made their trip, and her continued environmental activism will take place alongside her role as mum to little Estelle, who turns on February 23, and wife to Prince Daniel.
Despite having such a full schedule, Victoria is striking the balance between work and home perfectly. She recently made what local press described as a "historic" visit to at her nation's annual Gay Gala. She present the night's top award to author Jonas Gardell, who quipped: "Victoria, you're our crown princess, but I think tonight, I'm our queen''.