Ed Sheeran's face slashed by a sword wielding Princess Beatrice

Baby-faced pop crooner Ed Sheeran has been left looking like a low-budget Bond villain after having his face slashed with a ceremonial sword at the hands of Princess Beatrice, strangely enough.

As if that sentence wasn’t bizarre enough, the accidental injury was reportedly caused as Princess B was pretending to knight James Blunt.

While attending a party at Royal Lodge in Windsor the You’re Beautiful singer is reported to have joked that he would love to become Sir James. Happy to oblige, the Princeess picked up a sword and went to tap Blunt on each shoulder, accidentally catching Sheeran’s face at the same time.

"The blade cut into his face and it was just a few inches from his right eye," a source told The Sun newspaper. "A couple of the guests said it could have been worse and he could have been blinded in the eye, but Ed really played it down.

"Everyone was totally shocked and apparently Beatrice was very upset. But Ed was the perfect gentleman and told her it was just an accident.

"However, it became apparent that the wound needed treatment, so Ed was taken to hospital. He had to have stitches put in."

Ed Sheeran fans need not worry though, as the Thinking Out Load singer was swiftly patched up at a nearby hospital and even returned to the party afterward.

He was even well enough to play a show in London the following night. However there is still no word on whether James Blunt can be expecting an actual knighthood anytime soon. We’re not holding our breath.