A handwritten note on a wreath from Prince Charles has been stolen.
Prince Charles
The 67-year-old royal marked the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan tragedy - where 116 children and 28 adults were killed after a mountain of coal waste slid down onto Aberfan and destroyed a junior school and nearby homes - by laying a wreath with a handwritten message in the cemetery where many of the victims are buried.
The message at the cemetery in South Wales read, "In continuing memory and deepest sympathy" but was later stolen from the wreath.
David Davies, the chairman of trustees at the Aberfan Memorial Charity, said: "It's a pretty despicable act, for someone to have done that given it was a personal message by His Royal Highness to the people of Aberfan.
"I can only presume it was some autograph hunter who though they were more deserving of the note than Aberfan.
"The last time I saw the note was on Friday (21.10.16) lunchtime when Prince Charles laid the wreath, and the next time I visited the cemetery on Sunday (23.10.16) lunchtime it was gone.
"My personal view is that there is very little chance of the note returning."
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