Aberfan, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales Landscape with crowds in the foreground showing the disaster area. "It is really the ultimate kind of respect that can be made to that community.". Queen Elizabeth II allegedly considers her delayed visit her greatest regret. What Really Happened When Queen Elizabeth Visited Aberfan, © Pool/Tim Graham Picture Library - Getty Images. The Queen and Duke looking at the disaster scene from a distance. Aberfan, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales Landscape with crowds in the foreground showing the disaster area. "She said, 'I feel one of the biggest mistakes of my reign was not getting to Aberfan sooner'. While The Crown depicts its version of events, we're diving into what really happened in Aberfan, and what the Queen did in response. V.S. Another mother told ITV that no one judged the queen for her delayed response. He said: "The Queen walked towards some children and I was close enough to see her face. A makeshift mortuary was set up at Aberfan's Bethania Chapel, which remained in place until November 4. The wrecked school. Here’s the true story of the Aberfan disaster of October 21, 1966, which killed 144 people.

EXPLORE OUR ONLINE CHANNEL, BRITISH PATHÉ TV. V.S. I think everyone involved in the production realizes what an awful tragedy Aberfan was. Aberfan survivor “uneasy” with The Crown’s depiction of the Queen’s “callous” reaction to tragedy. ", JUST IN: Princess Beatrice wedding: Prince Philip amends bitter relationship. The BBC characterized the 1966 visit as "one of the most touching moments of the queen's reign that is still remembered by the victims. (Photo by Stan Meagher/Express/Getty Images) … One of the rescuers in the disaster, Sir Mansel Aylward recalled how the Queen behaved when she visited the village. Queen Elizabeth really did wait eight long days to visit the site of an infamous coal-mining tragedy.

Royal commentators reflected on this event in Channel 5's latest royal documentary, 'The Queen: In Her Own Words', and the impact it had on the head monarch. V.S.

Royal expert Ingrid Seward said: "The Queen did say this to her private secretary, Martin Charteris.

History.com reports that while in the village, the monarch showed "poignant grief"—an atypical response for the usually stoic Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth exposed: Queen reveals 'greatest mistake' in her reign after disast. Pan of the Aberfan area. As the show correctly depicts, at first Queen Elizabeth II neglected to visit Aberfan, sending Prince Philip instead. Weeks of heavy rains caused the coal waste tip—that is, the pile of waste left over from the process of mining—to collapse and turn into a landslide on the morning of October 21, 1966. The third season of The Crown tackles a dark moment in the history of the United Kingdom: In 1966, a coal waste tip collapsed and slid into a school in the mining village of Aberfan in Wales, claiming the lives of 144 people. ", He continued, "Peter Morgan, the writer and showrunner, and I thought this was a story we wanted to tell. Queen Elizabeth II faced controversy after failing to speak out after a major disaster in 1966. "This was something that other people couldn't do. newspaper archive. Queen and Duke looking at the many flowers which have been sent. https://www.britishpathe.com/ "The Queen could do something that was very important and rather special. Princess Diana ‘most attractive royal of all time’ [ANALYSIS]The Queen takes part in SECOND virtual royal engagement [VIDEO]Queen Elizabeth II ‘poised for return to work’ by autumn [INSIGHT]. She ended up visiting the village almost a week after the disaster occurred, and later said her delayed response was her biggest regret as queen. Her brother-in-law Lord Snowdon, who was of Welsh heritage, headed there early that next morning as well. "It seemed there was a change in her demeanour. IT'S FULL OF GREAT DOCUMENTARIES, FASCINATING INTERVIEWS, AND CLASSIC MOVIES. All footage can be viewed on the British Pathé website. ", © Des Willie - Netflix ", Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, Family of slain student Lauren McCluskey gets $13.5M settlement from University of Utah, Workers who lost jobs because of COVID-19 find new careers in these fields. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. The Queen visited Aberfan eight days after an avalanche of slurry killed 144 people, mostly children, in 1966. "Then she moved her finger to the side of her eye just as one or two tears came down.". Following the disaster, the Queen refused to come to the village out of a sincere desire not to detract away from the ongoing rescue efforts being made. Queen mired by conspiracy theories about decades-old scandal, Meghan Markle confession: Boris Johnson's stunning verdict on Duchess, Princess Diana ‘most attractive royal of all time’, The Queen takes part in SECOND virtual royal engagement, Queen Elizabeth II ‘poised for return to work’ by autumn, Princess Beatrice and Edo release 'delightful' NEW photos of wedding, Princess Diana 'ignored chef for three days' until stunning gesture. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours.