Sombre Prince William joins King and Queen for rare joint excursion to commemorate heartbreaking Aberfan disaster – best photos


The Prince of Wales, the King, and the Queen headed to the small Welsh village of Aberfan on Wednesday for a very poignant engagement


Aberfan
Eleanor Dye
Eleanor DyeOnline Royal Correspondent
41 minutes ago

The Prince of Wales accompanied the King and Queen for a rare joint excursion as a trio to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster on Wednesday. 

Prince William, 44, Charles, and Queen Camilla joined politicians, survivors and bereaved families in remembering the 116 children and 28 adults who were killed in the mining disaster at the small Welsh village on 21 October 1966.

An entire generation was almost wiped out when 150,000 tonnes of coal waste slid down the hillside before engulfing Pantglas Junior School, following days of heavy rain. Around half the children from the school died in the tragedy.

On Wednesday, the royals visited the Aberfan Memorial Garden and the community centre before joining a prayer to remember those who lost their lives.

The joint outing from the future King, his father, and his stepmother comes after the royal family hosted a State Banquet for the Sultan of Oman on Tuesday night, and after Prince Harry gave a surprise interview to GQ Magazine claiming he wants to reconcile with his family.

See all the photos from the outing below…

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King Charles, Queen Camilla, and Prince William attend a commemoration event at Aberfan Memorial Garden © Getty Images

King and Queen arrive with Prince William

On their arrival, Charles, Camilla and William visited the Aberfan Memorial Garden, which is located on the site of the junior school.

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Prince William looked sombre at the event© Getty Images

Poignant occasion

The Prince of Wales, wearing a blue suit, looked sombre as he visited the memorial garden, meeting survivors and family members.

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Queen Camilla wore a leopard print coat© Getty Images

Queen Camilla's leopard print

Queen Camilla was wearing a leopard-print dress that she was seen in earlier on Wednesday outside Windsor. 

She added a brown overcoat and carried an umbrella due to the day's rainy conditions in Wales.

After arriving, the royals took part in a walkabout, meeting crowds and well-wishers.

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The King chatted with his eldest son© Getty Images

Father-son exchange

The King happily greeted his eldest son, exchanging a warm greeting after arriving separately. 

William and Charles were seen laughing alongside Queen Camilla during the welcome.

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King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived via Royal helicopter© PA Images via Getty Images

Touching down

The King and Queen flew in by Royal helicopter after bidding farewell to the Sultan of Oman earlier on Wednesday morning. 

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The King and Queen bid farewell to the Sultan of Oman© POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Bidding farewell to the Sultan of Oman

Earlier on Wednesday, the King bid a warm farewell to the Sultan of Oman after hosting his state visit at Windsor Castle.

Charles said his goodbyes to Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al Said at the Sovereign’s Entrance of the royal residence.

The monarch was joined by the Queen, who was wearing a leopard-print dress and shook the Sultan’s hand and told him: "Goodbye. I hope you have a good journey back."

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