British Museum Taps Mary Beard and Damian Lewis to Help Raise $4.5 M. to Buy Tudor Heart Necklace

British Museum Taps Mary Beard and Damian Lewis to Help Raise $4.5 M. to Buy Tudor Heart Necklace

A gold pendant known as the Tudor Heart is the subject of a high-profile fundraising campaign launched by the British Museum, which involved actor Damian Lewis (famed for his roles in Billions, Homeland, and Wolf Hall) and historian Mary Beard in an appeal for money to acquire a treasured example of historical “bling” for its storied collection. “We have absolutely nothing of this complexity or type surviving from Henry VIII’s early reign,” Ra…

Help Support the Tudor Heart Appeal

– Historical Treasures – Damian took to social media on behalf of the British Museum to help secure the Tudor Heart pendant, an historic treasure once associated with King Henry VIII and his first wife Katherine of Aragon. The British Museum is trying to raise £3.5m by February 14, 2026 to secure the pendant for the nation. View this post on Instagram A post shared by British Museum (@britishmuseum) The Tudor Heart is one of the most spectacula…

British Museum seeks £3.5m to keep rare gold pendant—with ties to Henry VIII’s daughter—in the UK

The Tudor Heart, discovered by a metal detectorist in 2019, is the only object of its kind surviving from the British monarch’s reign

Tudor treasure: Henry VIII’s gold love pendant goes on display at the British Museum

An exceptionally rare gold pendant with close ties to King Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon has gone on display at the British Museum today, marking the launch of a campaign to save it for the nation. (c) British Museum The 24-carat “Tudor Heart” pendant was discovered by a metal detectorist on a farm in rural Warwickshire on Friday 13th December 2019, so unlucky for some, but very lucky for the discoverer. After being reported by the discover…