He plans to remove the treasured photograph from his wall to present it to King Charles and Queen Camilla. “The photo has always been special to me, but it also has meaning for the King because his father is in it,” he explained.
In a touching coincidence, while giving a school talk earlier this year, Mr Jones discovered that one of the pupils was the great-great-grandson of Stephen Andrews. That same child will present a posy to the King and Queen during their visit to Cardiff this week, where they will also formally open the Senedd.
Queen Elizabeth faced sharp criticism for not travelling to Aberfan until eight days after the disaster. Prince Philip and Prime Minister Harold Wilson had both visited the site the day after the collapse, but the Queen stayed away on the advice of her private secretary, Lord Charteris, who believed her presence would obstruct rescue operations and overshadow the families’ grief.
Lord Charteris later conceded this had been an error, and Elizabeth II herself came to regard the delay as one of the most significant missteps of her reign. When she did arrive, journalists noted she appeared unusually moved by the bereaved families she encountered.
Mr Jones, however, holds no grudge. “To me, she held back as a mark of respect to the families who lost children,” he said. “The Queen waited for the dust to settle; I still think it was the right thing to do.”