Question about coal mines and royalty visits ....

We've started watching The Price of Coal on Prime and something reminded me of what my mum used to tell me many many years ago, that if royalty came to the area or maybe even visited pits then the coal was painted white.
Is this true or was it just a local joke put around at the time?

 

Not true ,but everything that didn't move was painted white.
Joke with the ex pit fitter from Dodeth with the house brick asking if he had to paint it White

 

Not sure about painting coal white, but when VIP’s/high ranking politicians etc visited, many things were done especially around the pit-bottom/shaft sides. Painting the steelwork white. Heavy stone-dusting leaving an appearance looking like it had just snowed. Tidying jobs and fixing equipment that’d needed doing for ages all done. The thing they failed with was to totally control how the men dressed and behaved. For eg, those that worked in hot and humid places and usually worked in their underwear continued to do so. TBF most would not swear especially if there were females in the visiting party. Which reminds me of when a tannoy message suddenly came over, ‘ have they fekd off yit, can we swear’ the caller knowing full well they hadn’t and would hear the message

 

Burns easier if it's painted white.

 

We worked at Prince of Wales Colliery in Ponty and I can tell you for a fact that it's true. In the late 70's or early 80's they had a royal visit and everything that could be painted...was. Brilliant white buildings and kerbs with the blue and yellow NCB signs and livery painted...and yes the bits of grass around the buildings had been painted (or dyed) green.