Mr Pavel later apologised to the officer on X
Czech President Petr Pavel's recent gaffe has been captured on camera and is going viral on the internet. Mr Pavel was at a commemorative event in Prague when he accidentally knocked a soldier's hat off.
As the large pole was passed to the Czech President, he misjudged its weight and inadvertently swung it towards a soldier standing at attention, causing the soldier's hat to be knocked off. Despite holding a sword, the soldier maintained composure, choosing not to react and remained in position as the ceremony proceeded.
The soldier continued to do the parade hat-less. The soldier behind him was captured smirking and trying not to laugh.
See the video here:
Mr Pavel later apologised to the officer on X, formerly Twitter. He wrote, "I feel the need to at least apologize in this way for the physical or psychological harm to the member of the Castle Guard who was hit by a battle banner during the ceremony in Vitkov. It was definitely not an attempt to diversify standard military procedure with a new element. I just underestimated the weight."
The country was celebrating Czechoslovak Independence Day at the Vitkov Memorial. The event was attended by Mr Pavel along with Chief of the Army General Staff Karel Rehka, and other high-ranking officials.