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When King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother stepped over rubble in London's East End after a German bombing raid in 1940 to greet and reassure survivors, the royal couple set a precedent in how the British royal family responds to disaster. In 1966, Queen Elizabeth II found herself in a similar situation when she visited the aftermath of a dreadful landslide that engulfed an entire school in Wales and took the lives of over 100 youngsters. In the years since the British monarchy has provided encouragement and support to those who have survived similar tragedies.
Click through for a look back at royal visits to scenes of devastation.
When King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother stepped over rubble in London's East End after a German bombing raid in 1940 to greet and reassure survivors, the royal couple set a precedent in how the British royal family responds to disaster. In 1966, Queen Elizabeth II found herself in a similar situation when she visited the aftermath of a dreadful landslide that engulfed an entire school in Wales and took the lives of over 100 youngsters. In the years since, the Queen and other members of the British monarchy have provided encouragement and support to those who have survived similar tragedies.
Click through for a look back at royal visits to scenes of devastation.
The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against Britain in 1940 and 1941 during the Second World War. London was especially targeted.
Between September 7, 1940 and May 11, 1941 during the bombing campaign, the area around Buckingham Palace was bombed seven times. On Friday, September 13, however, the Germans came extremely close to hitting the ultimate target. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother , seen here standing among the bomb damage at the palace, refused to leave London. Instead, the royal couple visited bombed areas to see the damage caused by enemy air raids.
After Buckingham Palace was bombed, the King and Queen made their way to London's East End. Civilians, many of them made homeless by the Luftwaffe, gathered in their dozens to greet their illustrious visitors.
This was the first time members of the British royal family had toured London bomb sites and met the residents of neighborhoods that would normally be off royal tour agendas. The Queen later remarked that after the palace bombing she felt she could "look the East End in the face."
The royal couple pause among a crowd surveying bomb damage during a tour of North London. King George VI held the ranks of Admiral of the Fleet, Field Marshal, and Marshal of the Royal Air Force, and always appeared in uniform during visits such as these.
The Queen Mother smiling and looking radiant as she meets families during a tour of North London. Her empathy towards her subjects endeared her to the British public for the rest of her life.
On October 21, 1966, a mountain of slurry or accumulated spoil—waste material removed during mining—slid down onto Pantglas School and a row of housing in the Welsh village of Aberfan.
The huge volume of slurry engulfed everything in its path, killing 144 people, 116 of whom were children sitting in their school classrooms. Rescue workers are pictured desperately looking for survivors in the aftermath of the coal waste slide.
Initially Queen Elizabeth II refused to visit the scene of the tragedy, instead sending her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh to represent the royal household. Decades later, the British monarch said that not visiting Aberfan immediately after the disaster was "her biggest regret."
Half of Aberfan's children had perished in the disaster. The Queen was visibly upset as she toured the village with Prince Philip. Despite her late arrival on the scene, the people of Aberfan appreciated Elizabeth's presence.
The royal couple pause to offer condolences to an elderly Aberfan resident during their walk through the village.
In 1973, the Queen revisited Aberfan to lay a wreath at the cross in the village cemetery; in May 1997, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh planted a tree at the Aberfan Memorial Garden. In October 2016, the 50th anniversary of the disaster, memorial events took place at the garden and at the cemetery; the Prince of Wales represented the Queen.
On May 22, 2017, an Islamist extremist bomber detonated a homemade explosive device as people were leaving the Manchester Arena after a concert by Ariana Grande. Twenty-two people died, including many children, with a further 800 receiving physical or psychological injuries in the blast.
Pictured: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip observe a minute's silence in honor of the victims of the attack at Manchester Arena at the start of a garden party at Buckingham Palace on May 23, 2017.
Two days later, the Queen was in Manchester to personally meet survivors of the bomb blast.
The Queen described the terror attack as "very wicked" during a visit to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital on May 25, 2017. She's pictured speaking to survivor Millie Robson, 15, from Co Durham, and her mom, Marie, during a tour of the hospital wards.
The British monarch at the bedside of another survivor: Evie Mills, 14, from Harrowgate, seen here with her dad Craig.
Escorted by Kathy Cowell (right), Chairman of the Central Manchester University Hospital, Queen Elizabeth II greets staff during a visit to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital to thank them for their hard work in treating survivors of the attack.
Pictured: Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, West London, smothered in flames, recorded by an eyewitness in the early hours June 14, 2017. The blaze ripped through the apartment block, which killed 72 people. The fire spread quickly due to the building's cladding and the external insulation.
An obviously shocked Queen Elizabeth II visits the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire disaster on June 16, 2017. Accompanying the monarch was Prince William. The pair met first responders and volunteers who helped survivors.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William meet firefighters during a visit to the Westway Sports Centre, which provided temporary shelter for those who had been made homeless by the fire.
Prince William stops to chat with two firefighters during the royal visit to Manchester. The Prince later broke royal protocol by hugging a woman whose husband went missing following the horrific fire.
Senior royals Charles, Camilla, Prince William, and Prince Harry attend the Grenfell Tower national memorial service held at St Paul's Cathedral on December 14, 2017 in London, England.
One of the official residences of Queen Elizabeth II, Windsor Castle suffered extensive damage after fire swept through the Queen's private chapel and quickly spread to the neighboring Brunswick Tower, St George’s Hall banqueting space, and several private apartments on November 20, 1992. In all, more than 100 rooms were damaged.
A personal tragedy for the monarch, the Queen was seen visibly wiping away tears as she was escorted by the chief fire officer around the grounds of Windsor Castle as firefighters battled to control the blaze.
Stooped and silent, a brooding Queen Elizabeth walks with a fire chief towards a still smoldering Windsor Castle.
The Queen with firemen and royal officials inspecting the castle's fire-ravaged interior. At least 225 firefighters fought the blaze using 39 engines. Fortunately, no deaths or injuries were reported.
On November 24, 1992, a crestfallen Queen Elizabeth II made her famous "Annus Horribilus" speech at the Guildhall in London. In it she described her sadness at the events of the year, which included the marriage breakdown of two of her sons (Charles and Andrew) and the devastating fire at her Windsor Castle home.
Sources: (Imperial War Museums) (The Guardian) (British Heritage Travel) (History) (South Wales Echo) (Manchester Evening News) (BBC) (Vanity Fair) (The History Press) (The Royal Family)
See also: The amazing residences owned by the British royal family
How the British royals respond to disaster
Royal visits to scenes of devastation
CELEBRITY Royal family
When King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother stepped over rubble in London's East End after a German bombing raid in 1940 to greet and reassure survivors, the royal couple set a precedent in how the British royal family responds to disaster. In 1966, Queen Elizabeth II found herself in a similar situation when she visited the aftermath of a dreadful landslide that engulfed an entire school in Wales and took the lives of over 100 youngsters. In the years since the British monarchy has provided encouragement and support to those who have survived similar tragedies.
Click through for a look back at royal visits to scenes of devastation.