King Charles and Queen Camilla to mark 60th anniversary of Aberfan Disaster

The British royal family will observe the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan Disaster later this month. 

Almost 60 years ago, miners who were once digging for coal were digging for their own children. On Friday 21st October 1966, 144 people were killed when the coal tips from Merthyr Vale Colliery slipped down a mountainside and buried Pantglas School, twenty houses and a farm in the village of Aberfan.

Of the 144 that were tragically killed, 116 were children, most of them between the ages of seven and ten. About half of the children from Pantglas School lost their lives, along with five of their teachers. It was the last day of school before the half-term break.

An investigation later ruled that the collapse was caused by a build-up of water in a stream running underneath the tip itself.

Now, decades later, the royal family will travel to South Wales to mark the solemn anniversary. King Charles, Queen Camilla and Prince William will visit the Aberfan Memorial Gardens and the Aberfan and Merthyr Vale Community Centre on Wednesday 21 October to mark the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan Disaster.

The King and Queen, with the Prince of Wales, will join survivors, bereaved parents and members of the community to pay tribute to the 144 people who lost their lives in 1966.

The King, Queen and the Prince will begin their visit by spending time in the Aberfan Memorial Garden, which stands on the site of Pantglas School, where the 109 children and 5 teachers lost their lives. They will hold a short prayer and a moment of silence, during which the King and the Prince of Wales will lay wreaths, and the Queen will place a posy in memory of those lost.

After a short walk from the Memorial Garden to Aberfan and Merthyr Vale Community Centre, meeting local residents along the route, they will meet with retired members of the emergency services who helped in the hours and days after the collapse, including a 96-year-old woman who was a police officer at the time.

Together, they will view an exhibition showing the huge scale of the rescue effort and have a chance to meet representatives from the police, fire service, St John Ambulance, the British Red Cross, and other first responders.

Throughout the visit, the King and Queen, with the Prince, will be accompanied by those who have first-hand experience of the disaster, the impact it had on the community then and continues to have today, also meeting with members of the emergency services who helped in the hours and days after the coal tip collapsed onto the village.

Prince William will conclude the visit in Aberfan at Ynysowen Community Primary School, where he will unveil the Aberfan Memorial Tree, a new sculpture created to commemorate the 60th anniversary. ArtMetal, a family-run metalwork company based in Rhayader, Powys, designed and created the memorial. The school’s Headteacher, Simone Roden, and Jeff Edwards, Vice Chair of Governors at Ynysowen Community Primary School and a survivor of the Aberfan Disaster, developed the concept.

During the early planning stages, pupils shared drawings and ideas for the memorial, helping shape the vision. The Memorial Tree will provide a permanent place for pupils, families and visitors to remember the 144 victims and reflect on the lasting impact of the tragedy.

Ynysowen Community Primary School was established after the Aberfan Disaster and carries forward Pantglas Junior School’s legacy. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the primary school, accompanied by Prince Philip, in April 2012 as part of the Diamond Jubilee. A very emotional Queen Elizabeth visited the site in the days after the disaster back in 1966.