Rampaging protesters attacked a car containing the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall as the latest tuition fees demonstration descended into vandalism and violence.
Charles and Camilla were visibly shaken but unharmed after their armoured limousine was set upon by an angry mob as the royal couple made their way to an engagement in central London.
The car was kicked, daubed in paint and a rear window shattered as trouble spread across the capital after MPs voted to almost triple tuition fees up to £9,000.
With questions about royal security being raised, Prime Minister David Cameron condemned the attack as "shocking and regrettable" and said the protesters would "face the full force of the law".
The Metropolitan Police was also facing questions about its operation after large parts of the capital became a battleground, forcing another huge clear-up operation.
Benches were set alight in Parliament Square, Winston Churchill's statue was vandalised, windows smashed at the Treasury and the Supreme Court and protesters rampaged up Oxford Street.
Students hurled missiles at lines of heavily armed police who responded by striking protesters with batons and charging them on horseback.
Police said 12 officers and 43 protesters were injured, while at least 34 arrests were made.
Charles and Camilla's car was attacked as it was driven down Regent Street. Up to 20 demonstrators set upon the vehicle with fists, boots and bottles, chanting "Off with their heads!" and "Tory scum".
The Met refused to be drawn when asked if an internal investigation would now be launched regarding the incident, but the attack is bound to raise questions regarding royal security.
