King Charles, Queen Camilla and Prince William visited the Welsh village of Aberfan on Wednesday to mark 60 years since the disaster that engulfed Pantglas Junior School, killing 116 children and 28 adults. The royals met survivors, laid wreaths in the memorial garden and spoke with members of the local community.
The royals arrived by helicopter and first visited the Aberfan Memorial Garden, where they spoke with survivors and greeted First Minister of Wales Rhun ap Iorwerth and Welsh secretary Stephen Kinnock. The King's chaplain, Archdeacon Mark Preece, read out a prayer before Charles and William laid wreaths and Camilla laid a posy.
Minute's silence and community gatherings
After the prayer, the royals observed a minute's silence before heading out to meet hundreds of locals who had gathered along Moy Road in Aberfan. Each of them took time to speak with people, shake hands, pet dogs, thank people for coming out and ask about their personal stories.
The three then went to the Aberfan Community Centre, where they held longer conversations with retired members of the emergency services who helped during the rescue mission, alongside survivors, bereaved parents and siblings, former pupils and members of local support groups.
Survivor thanks royals for their support
King Charles and survivor Jeff Edwards delivered remarks inside the centre, with Mr Edwards becoming emotional as he personally thanked the royals for standing with them since the disaster. "From our darkest hour on October 21, 1966, to this present day, you have remembered us, you have stood with us, and you have helped to ensure that Aberfan and those who are lost are not forgotten," he said. "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."
As the King and Queen departed, Prince William made his way to Ynysowen Community Primary School, which was set up after the disaster carrying forward the legacy of Pantglas Junior School. He spoke to pupils who had been learning about the disaster and asked how they felt learning about what happened 60 years ago.
New sculpture unveiled at school
Pupils performed poems and read out their work, with the prince acknowledging how impressed he was. "Wow, did you write that yourself?" he asked one pupil who read him a poem. Outside, 300 pupils were singing The Aberfan Song, written by a member of staff especially for the anniversary.
The Prince of Wales then unveiled a plaque to mark a new art sculpture installed in the school's entranceway. The metal tree sculpture, made by Adam Barrett, features leaves each bearing the names of people who died in the disaster: silver leaves for pupils, gold for teachers and green for civilian lives lost. Mr Edwards, who was involved in designing the sculpture, said he hoped the tree would continue to tell the story of Aberfan and the school's history for decades to come.
