Protesters Ambush Prince Charles, Camilla: 'Off with Their Heads!'

Demonstrators took to the streets of London in protest to the government's proposal to cut education spending and increase university tuition by as much as three times the current rate. Caught in the rioting was Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall who were making their way through London's West End to take in a pre-Christmas charity variety show.

Protestors Attack Prince Charles and Camilla's Car:

Protesters converged on the royal couple's Rolls Royce, hitting it with bottles, fists, boots, and white paint while chanting, "Off with their heads!" and "Tory scum."

According to Fox News, 23-year-old podiatrist Adnan Nazir, who was following the crowd through the streets, was among the first to spot the royal couple.

"I said, 'It's Camilla!' I wasn't trying to alert them. I was just surprised to see her," Nazir said, "A few people turned around and started hitting the windows. People started kicking the car."

Damages to the car include a busted rear window and white paint on the body. The couple escaped unharmed, but Camilla was visibly shaken by the incident.

A Jaguar carrying officers were behind Prince Charles and Camilla. That car also came under attack and police eventually used the cars doors as shields to protect themselves from flying objects such as bags of trash, bottles, and traffic cones.

'An Embarrassment for London':

The Guardian reports Met police commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson as saying the police force should have better anticipated the level of violence.

"It's not acceptable. It's an embarrassment for London and for us," Stephenson said.

Prior to their royal run-in, demonstrators had broken out a window at a local Starbucks and overturned at least two postcard stands.

This isn't the first time London has seen protests in its streets:

In 1990, rioters took to the streets of London in protest of a poll tax. Demonstrators gathered at London's Trafalgar Square, turning the tourist hot spot into a battlefield. Protestors attacked police with bricks, bottles, and scaffolding poles. 340 people were arrested and 45 of the 113 people injured were police officers.

The poll tax was proposed by then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The tax was abandoned when John Major replaced Thatcher in 1990.

In February 2003, two million people participated in an anti-war protest in London. Later that year, a May Day demonstration threatened to get violent but nothing came of it. There were some arrests made for minor public order offenses, but the organizers of the protest overestimated their numbers.

Update:

Prime Minister David Cameron has condemned violent protesters involved with yesterday's demonstrations against the government. To those involved in attacking the Prince of Wales and Camilla, he called "a mob" that had to feel the "full force of the law of the land." Cameron said the demonstrators behaved in an "absolutely feral way."

London's Metropolitan police will also be investigating decisions that led to the royal couple's car being confronted by protesters, and a Tory MP has called for an independent investigation into the incident. According to the Guardian, the Duchess may have been poked with a stick during the incident.

Sources:
Tuition Protestors Attack Car Containing Prince Charles, Camilla - FoxNews.com
Student fees protest: 'This is just the beginning'|Education|The Guardian
Tuition fees protests and Charles and Camilla attack aftermath - live|Education|guardian.co.uk