4 Of Queen Elizabeth’s Greatest Regrets

Queen Elizabeth lauded as the longest serving monarch in Britain and has experienced much in her 63 years of reign. Through the years, she has faced many ups and downs and, understandably, has faced her own share of regrets in her years of service. Here are a few of the Queen’s greatest regrets that she wished ended differently.

1. Aberfan Disaster (Oct. 21, 1966)

The Queen, as noted in author Penny Junor’s 2005 book “The Firm,” referred to the Aberfan disaster as her “greatest regret.” The disaster saw an avalanche of coal race down a steep hill in Aberfan, Wales, decimating everything in its path and killing 144 people.

Despite the horror brought by the coal mining fiasco, the Queen did not visit the village right away, sparking outrage from the public and media. “The Queen is said to regret her delay in visiting Aberfan in 1966, recognising in hindsight that it was a mistake not to be there immediately to comfort the grieving and express her sorrow,” wrote Junor.

2. “Annus Horribilis” (1992)

The year 1992 should have been a joyous memory for the Queen as it marked the 40th anniversary of her succession to the throne, but it was not the case. “[Year] 1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure,” she lamented.

She dubbed the year as “Annus Horribilis,” roughly translated as “rough year,” because of the numerous scandals and divorces that plagued the royal family, as well as the blaze that heavily damaged Windsor Castle.

3. Princess Diana’s Death (Aug. 31, 1997)

“I suspect she regrets her instincts during that week after Diana’s death, too,” said Junor in her book “The Firm.” The author recounted how the Queen had chosen to appear calm to the public, thinking it to be the pragmatic move in the face of the disaster.

“It was a mistake, however, to let the nation believe that neither she nor any other member of the Royal Family cared about the tragedy that had pole-axed the nation,” explained the author. “She thought that the answer to the mass hysteria was to stay calm and to keep on doing what the family had always done, safe in tradition.”

4. Britain–Ireland Tension (May 2011)

In her visit to Ireland in 2011, the Queen acknowledged the mistakes that Britain had done in the past and sent her message of conciliation for the betterment of the future. “We can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all,” the Queen famously said.