The Prince and Princess of Wales visited the Aberfan Memorial Garden on Friday to pay their respects to those who tragically lost their lives during the Aberfan disaster.
The coal-tip landslide on 21 October 1966 led to the loss of 144 lives, including 116 children.
William and Kate were led through the Aberfan Memorial Garden to pay their respects to those who died when a colliery spoil tip collapsed and sent tonnes of ash slurry onto the village below.
© GettyThe garden sits on the site of former Pantglas Primary School, which was engulfed by the landslide at 9.13am on October 21 1966, just as lessons had begun.
The late Queen Elizabeth II and the late Duke of Edinburgh visited the village on 29 October 1966 to pay their respects, and Her Late Majesty opened the Aberfan Memorial Garden in 1974.
© GettyHer decision not to visit sooner was said to have been one of the greatest regrets of her reign. Despite this, mourners gathered to meet her and the bond she made with those she spoke to during that visit on 29 October 1966 endured throughout the rest of her life.
They were guided around the memorial garden by Aberfan survivor David Davies, a former pupil at Pantglas Primary School, and Professor Peter Vaughan, Lord Lieutenant of Mid Glamorgan.
© GettyThey met trustees from the Aberfan Memorial Trust who are involved in ensuring the maintenance of the garden, alongside some of the Aberfan Wives group who lost relatives in the disaster.
It is the first time the royal couple has been to the village near Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales.
© GettyIn the crowd was disaster survivor Gareth Jones, 63, who crawled out of a window of the school as his classmates were buried alive by the black landslide.
Gareth chatted with Kate outside the memorial gardens and said: "I told her I was a survivor - I think she was quite surprised.
"She said she has three little children herself and can't imagine what we went through. She said she felt for all the bereaved parents."
© GettyHe added: "I spoke to Prince William after, he wanted to know the effect on families in the aftermath of what happened. I told him: 'We just had to get on with it.'
"The royal family have never forgotten us and it was lovely to see the new Prince and Princess of Wales here to pay their respects.
"People think the disaster is ancient history but to me it feels like it happened the other day. I'm sure Prince William was told what happened here when he was growing up, it’s embedded in the royal family - there's a special bond between us."
© GettyThere was a light-hearted moment as a one-year-old boy grabbed the Princess' handbag, leaving her in giggles.
Little Daniel reached out for Kate's black handbag as she stopped to talk to mother-of-two Lucy Williams.
Kate left Daniel to play with it for several minutes as she spoke to other visitors before coming back to retrieve it.
© GettySee the sweet moment in the clip below...
Speaking after the visit Mrs Williams, 30, whose mother-in-law survived the tragedy, described the "memorable" encounter.
She said: "He just stole her handbag. He took a shine to it and she let him play with it."
Her mother-in-law, Carole Williams, described it as "priceless – something to remember".
© GettyFriday marked the second day of engagements for the Prince and Princess of Wales in the South Wales Valleys and Mid Wales.
On Thursday, the couple tried their hand at abseiling as they joined the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team.
The pair later joined climbers at the nearby Dowlais Rugby Club, where they treated volunteers to pizzas from the Little Dragon Pizza Van. See that moment here...
Make sure you never miss a royal story! Sign up to The Royal Explainer newsletter to receive your weekly dose of royal features and other exclusive content straight to your inbox.
