The Prince and Princess of Wales visited the Aberfan Memorial Garden today to pay respects to those lost in the 1966 coal mining disaster, the worst in UK history. 
More from the History Channel.
On the morning of October 21, 1966, a landslide of coal waste crashes into a small Welsh mining village, killing 116 children and 28 adults. The accident left just five survivors and wiped out half the town’s youth.
The landslide sent 140,000 cubic yards of coal waste in a tidal wave 40-feet high hurtling down the mountainside where Merthyr Vale Colliery stood, destroying farmhouses, cottages, houses and part of the neighboring County Secondary School. The avalanche is thought to have been the result of shoddy construction and a build-up of water in one of the colliery’s spoil tips—piles of waste material removed during mining.
Below, the scene in 1966 as rescue workers searched for survivors at the Pantglas Primary School.
The Memorial Garden is situated on the site of the old school. 
Below, mourners at a mass funeral in 1966. 
Most of the children killed in the disaster were between seven and ten years of age. 
Royal Family members have visited Aberfan many times over the years. Below, you see Prince Philip and Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as she met with victims’ families a week after the disaster.
The Prince of Wales attended fiftieth-anniversary services in October 2016. In this image, he is reading a message from his mother. 
From her message:
I well remember my own visit with Prince Philip after the disaster and the posy I was given by a young girl which bore the heart-breaking inscription ‘from the remaining children of Aberfan’.
Since then we have returned on several occasions and have always been deeply impressed by the remarkable fortitude, dignity and indomitable spirit that characterises the people of this village and the surrounding valleys.
The Queen is seen during her 2012 Jubilee Tour with Jeff Edwards, the last child rescued from the school. 
More from ITV’s coverage.
Opened in 1974 by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the garden commemorates the victims of the disaster, whilst also providing a place for bereaved parents, siblings, next of kin, survivors, and the whole community to pay their respects.
A brief video from today as the couple arrived at the memorial.
#PrinceWilliam and #PrincessKate are here at the Pantglas Junior School Memorial Garden in Aberfan.
They’re meeting survivors of the coal tip disaster that happened on this site in 1966. #PrinceandPrincessofWales pic.twitter.com/JV75Ek2nkv
— South Wales News (@SouthWales_News) April 28, 2023
The flowers left by the couple. 
Here you see the Prince and Princess with David Davies, one of the children who survived the catastrophic event. 
From The Evening Standard’s story about today’s engagement.
They 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.
From The Daily Mail’s coverage.
The last surviving teacher at the school, Mair Morgan, 81, told the royal couple how she was teaching five year olds at the school and regularly visits to pay her respects.
They also met the 12 surviving members of the Aberfan Wives Group set up shortly after the disaster as a group of solidarity for the women in their thirties who had lost children and partners in the avalanche.
Another view. 
More from The Daily Mail’s article.
In the crowd was survivor Gareth Jones, 63, who crawled out of a window of Pantglas School as his classmates were buried alive by the 150,000 tonnes of waste in the worst mining disaster on record.
Mr Jones 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.
‘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.
After touring the memorial, the royals spoke with well-wishers gathered nearby.
Below, the Princess speaks with survivor Gaynor Madgwick, who lost a brother and a sister in the disaster. She shared newspaper articles about previous royal visits. 
Another view.
A youngster in the crowd was fascinated by the Princess’s handbag. 
One-year-old Daniel Williams liked it so much that he decided to keep it. 
In this video, you can hear Daniel’s mother, Lucy Williams, say, “Okay, let’s give it back.”
This was the moment one-year-old Daniel Williams took a fancy to the Princess of Wales’ handbag as she greeted crowds in Aberfan 👜https://t.co/ZXAfIehKMR pic.twitter.com/Lbu5hAKL1M
— ITV Wales News (@ITVWales) April 28, 2023
As you can see, the Princess seemed to find it all very entertaining.
One more photo from today’s engagement. 
Now for our look at what Kate wore. 
She was in a Catherine Walker coat and Zara dress we have seen previously. The coat was worn last September to look at floral tributes for the late Queen at Sandringham. We saw it again in March for a visit to Hayes Muslim Centre. 
The Zara dress was first worn in January 2020 (below right) for a visit to Bradford in West Yorkshire, then seen again for an engagement at University College London in October 2021 (below left). 
The midi-length dress is 100% polyester in an oversized houndstooth print and features buttons up the front, a pleated skirt, a v-neck with attached bow, elastic on the inside of the waistband, button cuffs, and a wide self-belt. 
As mentioned above, the Princess carried her Small Amberley Crossbody bag by Mulberry. She also wore her bespoke Gianvito Rossi boots. 
The Princess also had on her Emily Mortimer Hera White Gold and Diamond Earrings (£825, about $1035 at today’s exchange rates), along with the diamond leek brooch first noted when worn in March for a St. David’s Day visit with the Welsh Guards.
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