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The Queen, 94, couldn’t contain her emotions as she cried while meeting children in Aberfan following the 1966 disaster. The disaster killed 116 children and 28 adults as the landslide engulfed the local junior school and other buildings. Speaking on the Channel 5 documentary ‘The Queen: In Her Own Words’, Rescuer Sir Mansel Aylward recounted meeting the Queen after she had delayed her visit so it didn’t distract from the rescue operations.

Sir Mansel said: “She walked towards some children and I was close enough to see her face.

“You could see there was a change in her demeanour.

“Her face filled up as if she was going to cry.

“Then she moved a finger to the side of her eye and just one or two tears came down.”

Years later in a letter to the village, the Queen said how she was deeply affected by the disaster.

She said: “I will remember my own visit with Prince Philip after the disaster and the posy I was given by a young girl which bore the heartbreaking inscription, from the remaining children of Aberfan.”

Sir Mansel added: “It was very poignant when she met the children and it occurred, the remaining children of Aberfan.”

On reflection of the catastrophic event, the Queen admitted not going sooner was her “greatest mistake” in her reign.

Royal expert Ingrid Seward said: “The Queen did say this to her private secretary, Martin Charteris.

“She said, ‘I feel one of the biggest mistakes of my reign was not getting to Aberfan sooner’.”

Other royal experts have noted this tragic incident arguably marked the moment the Queen realised the comfort her words could bring to the public.

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Royal biographer Hugo Vickers said: “The Queen realised that people did want to see her.

“The Queen could do something that was very important and rather special.

“This was something that other people couldn’t do.

“It is really the ultimate kind of respect that can be made to that community.”

After eight days the Queen did visit the village and speak with the locals.

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