Queen Elizabeth II Returns to Aberfan (1997)

In October 1966, the community of Aberfan suffered an unthinkable tragedy when a colliery tip – a giant pile of mining waste – collapsed on the local junior school, killing 116 children and 28 adults. Queen Elizabeth II initially hesitated in visiting Aberfan, reportedly to avoid distracting from the desperate, round-the-clock rescue efforts in which the whole village had become involved. In her place, she sent her husband, Prince Philip. The Queen did eventually visit Aberfan after eight days, and was overwhelmed. After seeing the positive impact ver visit had, the Queen is said to have deeply regretted waiting. From Aberfan, the Queen took the lesson that she should be visible as soon as possible in the aftermath of a disaster. The story of the Aberfan disaster and the Queen’s involvement in its aftermath was dramatised in the third series of The Crown. The Queen maintained a long-standing relationship with the village of Aberfan. This footage is from 9 May 1997, when the Queen returned to the village and met survivors of the 1966 disaster including Gaynor Madgwick and Jeff Edwards. She visited again in 2012, when she opened Ynysowen Community Primary School alongside Jeff Edwards. The Queen’s connection to Aberfan symbolises one of the most important roles of the Monarch in modern society – that of helping to heal societal trauma in times of tragedy. It also reflects Elizabeth II’s personal growth in the role of Queen, which she took on aged 25. On 28 April 2023, Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales visited Aberfan as part of their tour of Wales. #QueenElizabeth #QueenElizabethII #TheQueen #Aberfan #Wales #Disaster #PrinceWilliam #PrinceOfWales #PrincessOfWales #PrincessKate #TheCrown To license the footage featured in this clip, follow the link below: To search the ITN Archive collection on Getty Images, follow the link below: 🎥 Subscribe to our YouTube channel (tap the bell icon and stay up to date with all the latest ITN Archive videos!) - @ITNArchive 🎥 Follow us on Twitter - 🎥 Like us on Facebook - 🎥 Check out our TikTok - @itnarchive1955