Charles' attacker could get 15 years

The schoolgirl who slapped Prince Charles round the face with a flower faces a draconian 15-year sentence for her protest.

Sixteen-year-old Ilina Lebedyeva was last night formally charged with "endangering the life of a foreign dignitary". If found guilty she could spend years in a spartan jail for an incident which lasted seconds.

State security officials in Latvia said she would remain in custody for the next three days - by the end of which the Prince of Wales will have left the country.

A spokesman said: "She has been charged under article 87 of our security act for trying to endanger the health and life of a foreign dignitary. This carries a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in jail."

Ilina launched her protest with a red carnation moments after the Prince had arrived in the Baltic republic. She was bundled away by Latvian security officials. Prince Charles's carried on with his walkabout and his aides dismissed the attack as a "minor incident".

The Prince could intervene and spare her a severe prison sentence. Latvian law allows the "victim" to tell the authorities what they think should happen to their attacker. But today St James's Palace did not say whether he would act.

The teenager from Daugavpils is understood to be a supporter of Latvia's National Bolshevik Party, now popular with many youngsters of Russian descent. The fact that she used a red carnation - a symbol of communism - leads police to suspect she was a stooge.

"We seriously suspect that she was not acting alone and that she was pushed into this for political reasons," said a police source. "We will continue to investigate that.

"There have been a number of cases involving teenagers in Latvia committing acts of hooliganism on behalf of this political group. It is a problem here." Her headmistress, Sylvia Birulina, said: "Ilina comes from a very good family and until recently she was a very modest girl.

"Then something happened to her character and she got misled and mixed up with the Bolsheviks. She has become arrogant and in love with herself."

Today Ilina's father, a respected musician, said he was "deeply shocked". "I did not know where she was. If what they are saying about her is true then it is a shock for me." He has travelled to Riga to see her but would not comment on the possible severity of any sentence against her.

A St James's Palace spokeswoman said: "This is a matter for the Latvian authorities. We would not wish to prejudice any legal proceedings and therefore we are not able to comment at this stage."