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Don’t go down Regent St, royal team was warned
Report for Home Secretary says Charles and Camilla’s protection officers ignored police advice
Royal protection officers guarding Prince Charles and Camilla were warned not to drive down Regent Street at least 15 minutes before their vintage Rolls Royce was attacked by protesters.
A Scotland Yard report leaked to the Daily Mail claims that a police sergeant told the royal security team on December 9 - a night of extensive student protests across London against the rise in tuition fees - that the West End should be avoided because there were around 200 demonstrators still roaming the streets.
But despite the warning, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall found themselves trapped within a throng of people shouting "Off with their heads" and battering their car.
One protester managed to get a stick – or a broomhandle, according to some reports - through an open window, which they then used to poke Camilla in the ribs as she tried to hide on the floor.
The report, written by Met Commander Ian Quinton for Home Secretary Theresa May, is said to "make extremely uncomfortable reading".
The big question now is why was the warning ignored? The Mail suggests that the royal couple themselves wanted to take that route to the London Palladium, where they were due to attend the Royal Variety Performance.
But a source has told The First Post that Prince Charles was overheard at the Palladium admonishing his bodyguards: "I told you we shouldn’t have gone down Regent Street".
According to the same source, he was driven home after the concert in an unmarked police van to avoid a repeat performance. ·
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From this we can deduce that the police were armed. Sending police out armed to control a mob is irresponsible and is asking for trouble. It is reasonable for a police bodyguard to carry a weapon but he should have strict rules of engagement. He should be able to deal with such an incident with his bare hands. In fairness to the officer he did not blunder. The police chief has made a mistake if he thinks that death could have resulted from such a situation.
It seems we have the balance wrong between poice restraint and poice protection. Surley anyone seen attacking a car with passengers should have been coshed unconscious by the police.