STOCKHOLM, Sweden - South Africa's 'ruling class' members seem to make a habit of being in crashes in their official cars but, globally, real royalty generally avoids such social crassness.
Except a few days ago when the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, was on his way to an airport in the country's capital, Stockholm, when the royal Mercedes collided with a left-turning car (Sweden drives on the right).
Neither the 68-year-old king, seated in the back, nor his chauffeur was hurt, spokeswoman Annika Sonnerberg said, but the Mercedes took some driver's-side pain on its front and doors and the driver's air bag deployed.
AFTERMATH UNKNOWN
Sweden's Aftonbladet newspaperr published a photo on its website.
Sonnerberg didn't know whether anybody was hurt in the other car or whether there would be any legal aftermath but there were no reports of a large-muscled man in a black mask carrying a large axe and a block of wood into the palace grounds.
The king was taken in another car to Bromma Airport for his flight to northern Sweden.