The Queen\u2019s repeated visits to the small Welsh mining town of Aberfan, after a disaster which killed 116 children and 28 adults, were an example of her \u201csoft power\u201d, which shaped the UK and its relations with the world, the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd Andrew John, said on Friday.<\/p>\n
The tragedy, in 1966, when a colliery spoil tip collapsed engulfing a primary school, led to four visits to the town from the Queen \u2014 the last in 2012, to open a new school. Archbishop John said that the people of Aberfan found her \u201cdeeply consoling\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn her role as head of the Commonwealth,\u201d he said, \u201cshe presided over a growing fellowship of nations, and she embraced our diverse histories, cultures, and languages, delighting in the sheer variety of this unique assembly. At times, when countries threatened to forsake each other, she displayed the skilful use of that \u2018soft power\u2019 . . . that way of exercising power that has depth and reach.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Wales, that skill was never more evident than when she visited Aberfan, in 1966. The community of Aberfan found her presence deeply consoling, and Her Majesty would return four more times to this community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a> (registration or subscription).<\/p>\n LATEST. Queen\u2019s visits to Aberfan were an example of \u2018soft power\u2019, says Archbishop of Wales, as final leg of King\u2019s national tour arrives in Wales<\/p>\n https:\/\/t.co\/Okpdl4fo3c<\/a><\/p>\n — Church Times (@ChurchTimes) September 16, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n