Swedish Prince Carl Philip punched in French night club

The prince, third in line to the throne, "was together with friends outside a club in Cannes, France, in the early hours of August 11" when he "was attacked, unprovoked, by a person unknown to the prince and his party," a statement from the palace said.

"The prince is fine, under the circumstances, and was not injured in the incident," it said.

Palace spokesman Bertil Ternert told reporters the palace had not yet decided whether charges would be pressed and said it was looking into the matter.

According to Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet, the incident took place at the Baoli nightclub around 3:00 am (0100 GMT), when a crowd surrounded the royal and a man punched him in the back of the head.

The prince is holidaying on the Riviera with his girlfriend, Sofia Hellqvist, it said.