An urgent review of security for the royal family will be delivered this week following an attack on a car carrying Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, Home Secretary (interior minister) Theresa May said yesterday.
May said anarchists and street gangs had infiltrated student protests that ended in rioting in central London last Thursday. Protesters battered their way into the Treasury and fought with police after parliament approved plans to increase tuition fees for university students.
Blaming police tactics was “ridiculous and unfair” when protesters had unleashed a barrage of stones, paint, golf balls and flares and attacked officers with metal barriers, May said.
One of the defining images of the protests was that of Charles and wife Camilla open-mouthed in horror when protesters attacked their Rolls-Royce en route to a London theatre, cracking a window and spattering the limousine with paint.
Although the couple was unhurt, the attack raised questions about royal security, which will be in the spotlight next year when Charles’ son Prince William marries in Westminster Abbey.
A review of how the royal family is protected will be completed by Friday, May told lawmakers.
