Fans Are Left In Tears By 'Harrowing' Of Episode 'The Crown' On Aberfan Disaster

Episode three told the real life story of the Aberfan disaster in which 116 children and 28 adults died.

On 21st October 1966, a colliery spoil tip collapsed at roughly 9.15am in the Welsh mining village of Aberfan after period of heavy rainfall.

The tip suddenly avalanched downhill as slurry engulfing the local junior school just as lessons had began.

Rescue workers and villagers ran out in their droves to try and save the children buried beneath the sludge. It took a week for all the bodies to be recovered from the wreckage.

The Duke of Edinburgh and Lord Snowden visited the wreckage the following day on 22nd October without the Queen's permission.

The Queen visited Aberfan on 29th October to pay her respects to those who had died.

The powerful episode stood out for viewers who were reminded of the "harrowing" disaster.

"Oh my word! The third episode of #TheCrown is so harrowing and so powerful! #Aberfan," tweeted one person.

"The Aberfan episode of #TheCrown is just superb. Absolutely horrifying, as it should be. Amazes me how few people seem to know about that tragedy nowadays," said another.

"After watching the Aberfan episode of The Crown and the handling of that is masterful. The fact that they decided to cover that event, a full episode, and do it so magnificently, is testament to the power and brilliance of this show. A masterpiece #TheCrownNetflix," shared a third.

"Was anyone else in tears during the Aberfan episode? #TheCrown," said another.

The Queen's decision to wait eight days to visit the site of the disaster - one that was met with critique at the time - was a heavy theme in the episode, with the Queen portrayed by new cast addition, Olivia Coleman.

The Queen is said to immensely regret not visiting the Welsh community sooner, but at the time, insisted she did not want to distract the community from their recuse efforts.

"Aberfan affected the Queen very deeply, I think, when she went there. It was one of the few occasions in which she shed tears in public," Sir William Heseltine, a press officer for the Queen, revealed in the Elizabeth: Our Queen.

"I think she felt in hindsight that she might have gone there a little earlier. It was a sort of lesson for us that you need to show sympathy and to be there on the spot, which I think people craved from her."

The Crown season three can be streamed on Netflix now.