I Watched Prince William in Aberfan — and Saw a Different Side of Royal Duty
EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS: Our royal expert Joshua Rom describes Prince William as deeply committed to duty, moving from a state visit to a somber Aberfan memorial.
KING CHARLES, Queen Camilla, and Prince William stood in silence at Aberfan on Wednesday, 60 years after a coal tip collapsed onto a Welsh village and killed 144 people, 116 of them children. They marked the solemn occasion in Wales with a poignant memorial service. It remains one of the worst mining-related tragedies in British history. Royal Observer Associate Editor Joshua Rom attended the commemoration in Merthyr Tydfil. Speaking about how this differed from the day-to-day royal duties, he said William, Prince of Wales, kept his 'eye on his duty' as he stood with a community still carrying its grief.
Rom said the mood was unlike a typical royal walkabout. “What I observed is that this was a very somber walkabout. You didn’t hear any of the big cheers that you would find at some of the walkabouts. … This had a very somber tone to it, a very somber atmosphere. But what was noticeable as well, of course, was Prince William. He took his time to properly meet and hold long conversations with local residents.”
For Rom, the weight of the day was evident. “This is an event which sits at the heart of the national conscience, the very heart of the Welsh nation. They felt this disaster. It was very close to their hearts, and this is something that Prince William, His Royal Highness, feels very deeply,” he said.
The tone also marked a sharp change from Tuesday's state visit, when William appeared in a more diplomatic mode. At Aberfan, Rom noted, "was far more pared down. You had the Prince of Wales not so much in uniform or regalia, but just in a navy suit.”
Rom said the two days showed how the monarchy moves between very different roles. “One can’t help but think this is a great example of how the monarchy pivots from occasion to occasion,” he said.
Rom also tied the day to the wider royal news cycle. “One minute going to attend a huge ceremonial diplomatic occasion, the next marking a six-decade anniversary for one of the UK’s worst disasters … Prince Harry [is] continuing to make headlines from his chat with GQ,” he said. He said Harry was speaking not only about reconciling with his family but about a wider conversation on grief and on people reconciling after it.
That, Rom suggested, raised a bigger question about the monarchy. "One can’t help but think: is this the monarchy putting duty first, putting duty at the center? Is this the monarchy making a point of what duty to the country really is?”
