Jeff Edwards, who was eight years old when he was rescued from the fatal landslide, has said he is “uncomfortable” with the portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II (played by Olivia Colman) and that her behaviour and bearing is drawn “very, very callously”.
The third episode of the new series of The Crown, which launched on Sunday, has already drawn criticism from some viewers who binged at the weekend.
On her visit to Aberfan, where 144 people died after a coal spoil tip raced down a hillside and smothered a school, the Queen is seen dabbing her face with a handkerchief to wipe away tears.
Yet on returning to Buckingham Palace, she meets Prime Minister Harold Wilson (Jason Watkins) and admits it was for show.
“I dabbed a bone-dry eye and by some miracle no one noticed.”
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Although the Queen explains she does have problems with showing her emotions, some viewers found this portrayal distasteful.
Joe Haines, press secretary to then Prime Minister Harold Wilson, described it as “absolute nonsense”.
Now Edwards, who was the last child to be rescued alive from the engulfed Pantglas Junior School, has shared his thoughts on how the monarch is represented.
In an interview with Radio Times Online, he feels that it is “callous”.
“[In the episode] she says, ‘We don’t do disasters sites, we do hospitals,’” Edwards recounted. “[When] I first saw that, I thought, ‘Well that’s rather callous’. And knowing the person, I don’t think she would have said that, personally.”
In regard to the controversial handkerchief scene, Edwards claims it didn’t take place. He has said that the Queen cried on her first visit to the town, when the granddaughter of local councillor Jim Williams handed her a posey.
“We know she did cry, because she went to Jim Williams’ house – and when she came down from the cemetery she was visibly crying.”
Edwards said he was concerned that audiences would presume she was “uncaring”, contrary to his own experience.
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“I am uneasy about the way in which the Queen was portrayed… I think she came over as a very uncaring person who didn’t show her emotions, and in reality that wasn’t the case, and isn’t the case today.”
He added that, overall, the episode was an accurate depiction of the tragic events of 21st October 1966 and its aftermath.
“I think in terms of the Aberfan perspective itself, it told the story as it happened. All I was uncomfortable with was the callous way in which they portrayed the Queen. That was my only concern about the film.”
However Edwards did acknowledge the scene at the end of the episode, where the Queen is struck by a hymn sung by mourners at a funeral, which causes her eyes to be damper than bone dry.
“There’s a redeeming feature at the end… I think what they’re trying to portray is her upbringing, her need to be not showing, as head of state, any emotion at all. But at the very end of the programme it showed the tears coming down her eyes, which effectively shows that emotional part.”
That was the one time he felt she was portrayed as the Queen he recognises.
“Up to that point, she was portrayed as a very callous person. Totally unfeeling. Totally unfeeling.”
Netflix have released a lengthy statement explaining the creative process behind the episode, their research, and their sensitivity towards the story.
“Producers of The Crown worked closely with the people of Aberfan to research this episode and met a wide range of people with first hand experience of the tragedy, including Jeff Edwards and other community leaders.
“While it is a fact that Queen didn’t visit the scene of the disaster for eight days we do not feel that this depicts her as either ‘callous’ or ‘totally unfeeling’. We show a monarch who is naturally restrained, while advisors around her question her stoicism in the face of such a terrible disaster.
“We strove to make it clear that her delay in responding to the disaster is one of the greatest regrets of her reign. We state that she has maintained a strong bond with the people of Aberfan for over 50 years, and have heard first hand of the respect and loyalty she commands in the village.
“We have gone to great lengths to depict the days after this tragedy with respect and with a duty of care to the residents. We hope that by bringing this event to a global audience people will have a greater understanding of one of the most tragic events of the Queen’s reign.”
The Crown season 3 is available to stream on Netflix now.
