In the midst of massive protests against a Commons vote that increased university tuition fees in England, an incident involving Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, shocked the nation.

As their Rolls-Royce traveled through central London, the royal couple found themselves caught up in the chaos when their vehicle became separated from its police escort. Protesters, enraged by the tuition hike, surrounded the car, shattering windows and throwing paint at it.

This unrest followed what began as a peaceful demonstration outside Parliament but quickly escalated, with protesters spilling into the West End.

One witness, Ben Kelce, described the scene, noting that it was clear who was in the car and that while Prince Charles and Camilla initially seemed calm, they grew visibly concerned as the crowd closed in. The area soon filled with police officers as chaos unfolded.

Despite the shocking attack, the royal couple arrived at the London Palladium for the Royal Variety Performance. Camilla, displaying her characteristic resilience, joked afterward, saying, “First time for everything,” as she left the theater. A spokesperson for Clarence House confirmed that while their vehicle had been targeted, both Charles and Camilla were unharmed.

The incident has put pressure on the Metropolitan Police, particularly Chief Sir Paul Stephenson, whose handling of earlier protests had already drawn criticism. Stephenson expressed his disappointment, stating, “Even though I’m sure the vast majority of people came here to protest peacefully, a significant number of people behaved very badly today.” The Home Secretary, Theresa May, also condemned the violence, calling it “unacceptable” and unrelated to peaceful protest.

The protests were triggered by the Commons vote to increase university tuition fees, with 21 Liberal Democrat MPs voting against the measure, in defiance of party leadership. The fee increase, set to raise the cap on tuition to £9,000 from 2012, provoked outrage, particularly among students and young people. While the National Union of Students condemned the violence, the unrest underscored deep discontent with the government’s decision.

Prime Minister David Cameron called the attack on the royal couple “regrettable and shocking,” while other political figures warned that the fee hike could have lasting consequences for the Liberal Democrats, who had pledged before the election not to support such an increase. As the dust settled from this third major protest against the tuition fee rise, the tensions between demonstrators and the government seemed far from resolved.