King Charles III, Queen Camilla and Prince William today visited Aberfan to mark the 60th anniversary of the Welsh town’s devastating mining disaster. They attended a commemoration event at Aberfan Memorial Garden in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, to mark that anniversary.
However, while the three members of the royal family travelled to the event in Wales, they didn’t travel together, with the King and Prince William heading out separately. With the closeness of the family, some might think this strange, but there is an important reason why they travelled separately as they adhered to royal protocol for the journey.
King Charles, Queen Camilla & Prince William Visit Aberfan Memorial Garden
The royal group first visited the Aberfan Memorial Garden, located on the original site of the Pantglas School. It was here on October 21, 1966, the last school day before the fall term break, that the devastating event occurred.
A coal tip from the Merthyr Vale Colliery close by slid downhill and engulfed the school, a farm and 20 houses in 150,000 tons of mud and slurry. Almost half of the school’s students passed away in the disaster, aged between 7 and 10 years.
After the observant moment at the site of the disaster, the King, Queen, and Prince William, walked to the Aberfan & Merthyr Vale Community Centre, to meet with members of the community and more of the survivors.
Why Did The Royals Travel Separately?
Despite this being a joint outing, Prince William and the King and Queen travelled to Wales in separate vehicles. William arrived first and met with more locals after the monarchs left the event.
Their mode of travel followed a royal protocol which dictates that direct heirs to the throne are discouraged from travelling together. The precaution is considered important and was designed to protect the line of succession should there be an accident along the way.
This protocol also recommends that in the event of Prince William and his heir Prince George heading out for an event, they should travel separately for the same reason. However, these days royal travel decisions are often made on a case-by-case basis.
King Charles, Camilla And William At Aberfan, Wales
While visiting the Aberfan Memorial Garden, the royals were led in a service of prayers and reflection. King Charles then laid a wreath, while Queen Camilla laid a bouquet. The Prince of Wales also laid a wreath, signed by himself and Kate Middleton, reading, “In our memory and in our hearts forever.”
Queen Elizabeth & The Aberfan Disaster
When the disaster happened in 1966, Queen Elizabeth felt that her response to Aberfan was one of the biggest mistakes of her reign. When it happened, she followed the advice of her private secretary, Lord Charteris, to stay away from the town. The monarch only visited the town eight days after the disaster, and sent her husband, Prince Philip to represent the crown.
At that time, Queen Elizabeth felt that her presence would distract from the rescue efforts. However, she faced heavy criticism for staying away from Aberfan. Over the years, the Queen visited the town on several occasions during her reign. Moreover, she opened the garden in 1974, as a peaceful place for the bereaved families and survivors of the disaster to remember their loved ones.
Prince William & Kate Middleton Visit Aberfan
Meanwhile, Prince William previously visited the town with Kate Middleton in 2023, shortly after they were officially named the Prince and Princess of Wales. During the trip, the couple met with community members, one of which recalled that Prince William told them, “My grandmother always spoke about Aberfan.”
During their visit, the royal couple were taken to the town’s cemetery by Jeff Edwards, one of the survivors. The cemetery lies close to where the school stood, and where the garden now stands.
“The visit to the cemetery itself was a very emotional affair. The Princess was really touched. She obviously saw the children were aged between 7 and 10, which related to her own children,” Edwards told People, referencing how close the ages were to William and Kate’s children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who were 9, 7, and 5 at that time. Edwards added, “That hit her really.”
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Why Did Prince William & King Charles Travel Separately To Aberfan, Wales?