Spain's King Carlos I felled by step

Madrid - Spain’s King Juan Carlos I balanced a public relations tightrope earlier this year after revelations of his controversial £27,000 hunting trip to Botswana surfaced.

The spare-no-expenses pleasure trip took place as nearly 25 percent of Spaniards are unemployed and the nation is mired in debt, according to a UK MailOnline report. Media jumped on the story after the monarch fell and had to be rushed back to Spain for hip replacement surgery. However, it’s his continued inability to balance while walking that has caught the attention of the nation’s press after Carlos toppled over while inspecting troops in Madrid on Friday. The king’s latest plunge happened during a visit to the Estado Mayor de la Defence, where he fell on his face after tripping on a step. Carlos fell to the portico’s paved floor, impacting his nose and chin. Despite his injuries, the 74-year-old monarch continued his visit and even presided over the meeting of the military chiefs. Nevertheless, people are talking about his declining health since King Carlos has fallen in public repeatedly and required nine surgeries since the 1980’s.