Witnesses thought it was "priceless" when Kate let Daniel play with and keep her purse. The boy's family commended the princess for her treatment of the inquisitive youngster. The Prince and Princess of Wales visited Aberfan to pay tribute to those who perished in the tragedy of 1966.
The Princess of Wales Kate Middleton had her purse "stolen" by a young visitor who was carrying a baby boy.
As Kate stopped to speak to mother-of-two Lucy Williams, one-year-old Daniel reached out and snatched her handbag.
The Princess of Wales Kate Middleton was lauded by Mrs. Williams, 30, whose mother-in-law survived the disaster, for how she managed her inquisitive youngster during the "memorable" encounter.
He only took her handbag, she claimed. She let him play with it when he developed an interest in it.
Meeting the royal, in the words of her mother-in-law Carole Williams, had been "priceless - something to remember."
For the first time, Prince William and Kate were in Aberfan, the location of the 1966 coal dump disaster.
116 children and 28 adults perished when an ash slurry covering homes and schools was released by a coal-tip avalanche.
To show their sympathy for the catastrophe victims, the Prince and Princess of Wales passed by the Aberfan Memorial Garden.
They were welcomed by residents of the village, which is close to Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales, as soon as they arrived.
On the spot where Pantglas Primary School formerly stood, a tour of the memorial garden was given to the visitors.
On the morning of October 21, 1966, it was buried by a landslip while pupils were still inside.
David Davies, a former Pantglas pupil and Aberfan survivor, and Professor Peter Vaughan, Lord Lieutenant of Mid Glamorgan, led the group through the garden.
The couple also spoke with some of the Aberfan Wives who lost loved ones in the disaster and met trustees from the Aberfan Memorial Trust, which looks after the garden.
After a large funeral had been held and eight days had passed since the disaster, William's late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, paid a visit to the location.
At the time, her initial absence was ridiculed, and it was believed that she regretted it more than anything during her reign.
On October 29, 1966, a group of mourners assembled to meet the Queen, and it is reported that the connection they made lasted the rest of her life.
The memorial garden was later inaugurated by the Queen in 1974 for the village, the families of the victims, and the survivors to pay their condolences.
On her last visit to Aberfan in 2012, she also inaugurated Ynysowen Community Primary, a brand-new institution.
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