Attack on Prince Charles and Camilla: Worst Security Breach in Royal History?
 AP |
Prince Charles and Camilla were on their way to watch a performance at the London Palladium on Thursday night when a mob disrupted their plans. While the royals were not hurt, questions are now being raised as to whether the couple's security is lacking.
On Thursday, demonstrators protesting rising school fees outside Parliament surrounded the royals’car. Amidst rioters shouting “off with their heads” outcries were reportedly heard from Camilla, who feared for her safety. The protesters broke one of the windows on the armored vehicle, hitting the car with a paint can.
According to the Associated Press, British officials are defending the country's security practices and the Metropolitan Police say they will investigate the incident. But Alex Bomberg, former aide to the royal family and CEO of a close protection security firm, says more should have been done to protect Charles and Camilla.
"You can't blame the royal protection squad for a bunch of anarchists' bad behavior," Bomberg says. "But you can blame someone for not doing their job correctly and not understanding the situation as it was unfolding. Someone's head should bloody roll."
Bomberg also says the police should have let the royal protection squad know about the protests and advise them to take a different route. He also says the 1977 Rolls Royce they were riding in, which didn't have bulletproof windows and lacked in speed and maneuverability, wasn't the right choice.
Security analyst and former police officer Charles Shoebridge tells the AP that things could have been much worse.
"Some of the demonstrators yesterday were carrying petrol, specifically to use in arson attacks," he says. "If the can of paint had been a can of petrol, it would have been very different. [It was] one of the most serious security breaches of the past decade."
