The British Museum privately hosted tech billionaire Peter Thiel for a VIP viewing of the Bayeux Tapestry on August 18. The viewing was led by Charlotte Appleyard, the museum’s director of development.
The tapestry exhibition is not yet open to the public. Public tickets for the tapestry went on sale earlier this summer, with reports of significant online queues. The next wave of public tickets is scheduled to go on sale on October 21.
A source at the museum confirmed the visit to the Guardian. Museum chair George Osborne was reportedly aware of the viewing but did not attend. Some staff expressed concerns about giving up scarce “lux hours” – a measure of light exposure for sensitive artefacts – to someone with no known interest in the museum, particularly as Thiel is not a donor.
Senior museum leaders were reportedly warned about potential public perception issues due to Thiel's connections and his company Palantir's controversial role in the British state. Palantir, a public software company, holds various British public contracts, including a £330m deal with the NHS since 2023.