The Prince of Wales may have to abandon his historic Rolls-Royce in the wake of the attack by tuition fee protesters, Home Secretary Theresa May hinted.
Mrs May suggested the Phantom VI might not be "appropriate" for transporting the Prince and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall.
She also confirmed that Camilla had come into contact with the mob who surrounded the car in the West End and poked sticks through the window.
The comments came as the inquest continued into the violent demonstrations over hikes in university charges that rocked central London last week.
Amid reports that Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson offered to resign after the chaotic scenes, Mrs May insisted she had not considered falling on her sword.
She also defended the "robust" police response to the disorder that saw dozens of officers and protesters injured, and more than 30 arrests made.
"What is absolutely crucial is that for those who did inflict criminal damage, for those who were breaking the law, that they should now feel the full force of the law on them," Mrs May told Sky News' Sunday Live.
Mrs May refused to speculate on whether crowd control tactics such as water cannon could be used to deal with such protests in future.
"The Met Police obviously have to look at how they should be dealing with these demonstrations," she said, "They will look across the board and they will be making operational decisions."
The Home Secretary rejected concerns that coalition spending cuts were hitting royal protection, saying the arrangements were "reviewed regularly" and would be looked at again in light of the assault on Prince Charles and Camilla.
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