World · Europe · 1 day ago
Charles and William mark 60 years since Aberfan disaster
King Charles, Queen Camilla and Prince William visited Aberfan in Wales on Oct.
21 to mark 60 years since a mining disaster there.
On Oct.
21, 1966, a coal waste tip slid downhill and buried Pantglas School and nearby homes.
The disaster killed 144 people, including 116 children; most of the children were aged between 7 and 10.
The royals attended a service at the memorial garden on the former school site, laid tributes and met survivors, bereaved families and members of the community.
The visit brought national attention back to the community’s loss and to the people who lived through the disaster.
The anniversary also recalls Queen Elizabeth II’s response: she visited eight days after the disaster, and later said she had deeply regretted the delay.
The visit ended with the royals meeting people at the Aberfan and Merthyr Vale Community Centre.
King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Prince William visited Aberfan, Wales, on Oct. 21, 2026, to mark the 60th anniversary of the disaster.
They laid wreaths and flowers and met survivors, bereaved families, former rescue workers and community members.
The 1966 disaster killed 144 people, including 116 children, when a coal waste tip slid into Pantglas Junior School and nearby homes.
The royals attended a service at the Aberfan Memorial Garden, on the site of the former school.
Queen Elizabeth II did not visit Aberfan until eight days after the disaster, a delay she later regretted.
- Who
- King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Prince William.
- What
- They commemorated the Aberfan disaster’s 60th anniversary, laid tributes and met people affected by the tragedy.
- When
- Oct. 21, 2026, the 60th anniversary of the disaster on Oct. 21, 1966.
- Where
- Aberfan, in Wales, including the Aberfan Memorial Garden and the Aberfan and Merthyr Vale Community Centre.
- Why
- To remember the 144 people killed when a coal waste tip engulfed a school and nearby homes.
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A coal waste tip slid downhill and engulfed Pantglas Junior School and nearby homes, killing 144 people.
Queen Elizabeth II visited Aberfan after initially staying away.
King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Prince William visited Aberfan for the 60th-anniversary commemoration.
- Date of disaster
- Oct. 21, 1966
- Anniversary visit
- Oct. 21, 2026
- Total deaths
- 144 people
- Children killed
- 116
- Material that engulfed the school
- 150,000 tons of mud and slurry
- Memorial site
- Aberfan Memorial Garden, on the former Pantglas School grounds
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What people are saying
In our memory and in our hearts forever.