LONDON.- The British Museum announced it has raised the £3.5 million of funding needed to acquire the Tudor Heart Pendant for its permanent collection, ensuring it will be on public display for generations to come.

The campaign to acquire the unique 24-carat-gold pendant linked to Henry VIII and his first wife Katherine of Aragon started last October with the aim of raising enough funding before April 2026 to keep the Heart in a public collection.

The campaign has reached its target in time for Valentine's Day thanks to the £1.75 million award from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, marking its 45th anniversary as a fund of last resort for the UK's most exceptional heritage.

The National Heritage Memorial Fund award, and the overwhelmingly positive public response and major awards from other arts bodies and donations from individual philanthropists, secured the campaign's success and meant the funding target has been reached before April.

Supported by the actor Damian Lewis, the campaign captured the public's imagination with the untold love story the Tudor Heart tells between Henry and Katherine. Over 45,000 people gave individual donations totalling £380,000 to the campaign – over 10% of the total.

Other major donations came from the Julia Rausing Trust which gave £500,000, Art Fund, including a contribution from the Rought Fund, who gave £400,000 and the American Friends of the British Museum who gave £300,000.

The success of the campaign shows that in the public's mind museums remain the natural custodians of cultural heritage and unique objects like the Tudor Heart should be preserved for public display so they can be studied and enjoyed by all.

To make sure everyone in the UK has the chance to see and enjoy the Tudor Heart, the British Museum is now working on plans for a future national tour, including it being on display in Warwickshire near to where it was found.
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Dr Nicholas Cullinan OBE, Director of the British Museum, said: 'I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported our campaign and to the National Heritage Memorial Fund for so generously awarding £1.75 million. The success of the campaign shows the power of history to spark the imagination and why objects like the Tudor Heart should be in a museum. This beautiful survivor tells us about a piece of English history few of us knew, but in which we can all now share. I am looking forward to saying more soon on our plans for it to tour the UK in the future.'

Dr Rachel King, Curator of Renaissance Europe and the Waddesdon Bequest, said: 'It has been a tremendous privilege to share the story of the Tudor Heart and its finding with the world. I have been enormously touched by the positive response to the Museum's campaign. Thanks to the spectacular generosity of many, people will have the opportunity to enjoy the object forever and, I hope, unravel the mysteries of who wore it and why and how it came to be buried.'

Simon Thurley, Chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said: 'The Tudor Heart is an extraordinary insight into the culture of Henry VIII's court, and I am delighted that Memorial Fund support will enable it to go on public display, where people can enjoy it and learn what it tells us about this fascinating period in our history

'The Memorial Fund exists to save the UK's most outstanding heritage and make it publicly accessible, in memory of those who have given their lives for the UK. Since 1980 we have supported nearly 1,500 acquisitions and we are delighted to count the Tudor Heart as part of the growing and timeless collection of UK heritage that belongs to all of us forever.'

Jenny Waldman, Director of Art Fund, said: 'The success of the Tudor Heart campaign is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when public generosity and philanthropic support come together. Art Fund is proud to have supported the British Museum with a major grant of £400,000, thanks to our National Art Pass members. This remarkable object, so rich in history and meaning, can now inspire wonder for generations to come thanks to the collective efforts of so many who believe in the importance of keeping our shared heritage accessible to all.'

The Museum will now engage with DCMS on the payment of the reward to the finder and landowner and hopes to have the Heart formally in the collection later this year.

The Tudor Heart will remain on view in Room 2: Collecting the world. To celebrate the acquisition, an accessible introduction, Object in Focus: The Tudor Heart, written by Rachel King will be published by the British Museum Press in May 2026. Paperback, £8, ISBN 9780714123547.