The Queen started mid-life with a rare false step – one she regretted for the rest of her days and proof that, at times, the crown can be a very heavy burden.
In 1966, a spoil tip above the little mining village of Aberfan in Wales collapsed, submerging homes and the village school in black slurry. Most of the 144 who died were children and the UK mourned.
Thinking she’d just get in the way, she delayed for eight days before visiting the site and distraught families. The public was not
