Home World A soldier is seriously injured after slipping and impaling himself in the head with his bayonet while guarding Swedish royalty.

A soldier is seriously injured after slipping and impaling himself in the head with his bayonet while guarding Swedish royalty.

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A Swedish soldier has been seriously injured after slipping and impaling himself in the head with his own bayonet while guarding the country's royalty (File image)

A Swedish soldier has been seriously injured after slipping and impaling himself in the head with his own bayonet while guarding the country’s royalty.

The soldier, who has not yet been identified, reportedly slipped and fell on his own bayonet, causing it to penetrate his head behind the ear while standing guard outside Stockholm Palace on Saturday.

While his injuries were initially considered life-threatening after he was taken to hospital, he is now in stable condition following surgery.

Since the near-fatal incident, Sweden’s royal guard has temporarily asked its soldiers to remove the bayonets from their weapons.

P4, a local radio stationreported that the force has also increased efforts to pave paths to minimize the risk of slipping.

Richard Beck-Friis, chief of the Commander’s Staff, said there was no reason to stop using bayonets entirely.

Sweden’s King Carl Gustav and his wife, Queen Silvia, sent flowers to the injured man on Monday.

Gustavo said express: ‘I haven’t heard anything today about how he is feeling, but the doctors have been fantastically good. I hope he doesn’t come to any harm from this.’

A Swedish soldier has been seriously injured after slipping and impaling himself in the head with his own bayonet while guarding the country’s royalty (File image)

The soldier, who has not yet been named, reportedly slipped and fell on his own bayonet, causing it to penetrate his head behind the ear while standing guard outside Stockholm Palace (File Image)

The soldier, who has not yet been identified, reportedly slipped and fell on his own bayonet, causing it to penetrate his head behind the ear while standing guard outside Stockholm Palace (File Image)

He added: “I’m crossing my fingers that things go well for that guy.”

Soldiers of Sweden’s royal guard have protected the country’s royal family since 1523, making it one of the oldest military units in the world.

The title of the oldest military unit in the world corresponds to the Spanish Infantry Regiment No. 1 ‘Inmemorial del Rey’.

The superior regiment of the Spanish army was created in 1248 by King Ferdinand III of Castile.

Since 1862, all heirs to the Spanish throne have enlisted as honorary soldiers in the unit.

In 1997, King Felipe, current monarch of Spain, followed this tradition and enlisted as a soldier in the unit.

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