General

Attack on Charles and Camilla raises questions about royal security

One of ‘the most serious security breaches of the past decade’

Protests over university tuition-fee hikes in Britain hit a fever pitch on Thursday, culminating in an attack by demonstrators on a car carrying Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. The couple was in a car headed to the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium when their car was surrounded by some 20 demonstrators who were chanting, “Off with their heads” and “Tory scum.” One of the car’s windows was smashed, and paint was thrown on the vehicle. Security analyst and former police officer Charles Shoebridge said: “This is a very serious incident. It ranks amongst the most serious security breaches of the past decade.” The strike on the royal family has also raised questions around security, and whether the right route was chosen for the royals to travel on. Met Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said it was “an unpredictable movement of some numbers of demonstrators” that led to the problems.

BBC News

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