The Princess of Wales and her three children have been invited to a private viewing of the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum, as the exhibition continues to draw large crowds.
Early discussions have taken place between the museum and Kensington Palace over a visit for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. The invitation was extended personally by museum director Dr Nicholas Cullinan.
A private appointment would allow the children to see the 1,000-year-old masterpiece away from the thousands of visitors attending the exhibition each day since its arrival from France in September.
A source said the museum was trying to agree a date with Kensington Palace, adding: “An invitation has been extended and the Museum has a good relationship with the Princess of Wales, so everyone is hoping it will all come to pass.”
The proposed visit comes as the British Museum seeks to deepen its relationship with the Princess of Wales and encourage her to become its next royal patron.
Senior figures at the Bloomsbury institution, including Dr Cullinan and chairman George Osborne, are understood to be keen to attract her to the museum. The Princess recently declined an invitation to attend its gala ball.
The Princess has increasingly been associated with support for British museums. One source said: “Catherine is emerging as a great supporter of British museums. It seems she’s leaning into supporting landmark museums as one of her passion projects.”
The source added that a visit was “long overdue”, particularly given the number of other museums she had attended, saying some at the British Museum felt it was “their ‘turn’ as it were”.
However, Kensington Palace is said to be conscious of avoiding any suggestion that the Wales children receive special treatment. A source said the Princess put “a lot of time and effort into making sure they have as normal an upbringing as possible”.
“But at the same time, the children can’t realistically stand in a queue for hours in public like other children, unfortunately,” the source added.
Several well-known figures have already been given private viewings of the Bayeux Tapestry, including Lily Allen, Mick Jagger and Maya Jama.
At least 800,000 people are expected to see the exhibition before it closes on July 11 next year.
