Perth Museum bosses say they’re “honoured” to be bringing Mary Queen of Scots’ last letter to the city.
The memento was written just hours before the doomed monarch’s execution on February 8 1587.
Written in French, it is addressed to her brother-in-law, Henri III.
And it is leaving the National Library for the first time in a generation to go on display in Perth Museum.
There it will join the Stone of Destiny, another relic now settled in Perth after a long stint in Edinburgh.
In it, Mary writes: “Tonight, after dinner, I have been advised of my sentence: I am to be executed like a criminal at eight in the morning.
“I have not had time to give you a full account of everything that has happened, but if you will listen to my doctor and my other unfortunate servants, you will learn the truth, and how, thanks be to God, I scorn death and vow that I meet it innocent of any crime, even if I were their subject.”
She also pleads with Henry to ensure her servants’ wages are paid after her death, writing: “This is a burden on my conscience that only you can relieve.”
Mary Queen of Scots connection to Perth and Kinross goes beyond letter
Long queues formed outside the Library’s George IV Bridge building in Edinburgh the last time the letter went on show in 2017.
The Perth appearance, in January 2026, will be the first time in modern history that it’s been seen north of the capital.
Culture Perth and Kinross – the charity that looks after Perth Museum – is collaborating with the National Library of Scotland as part of its centenary celebrations.
Helen Smout, Chief Executive of Culture Perth and Kinross, said: “It is an honour that the Library has entrusted us to display Mary Queen of Scots’ last letter at Perth Museum in 2026 as part of this programme.
“Perth and Kinross is at the very heart of Scotland’s story and Mary had significant links to the area, notably her abdication and 11-month imprisonment at Loch Leven Castle.
“This will be the first time the letter has been seen north of Edinburgh in modern history, and the longest period it will be on public view for more than 20 years.”
Culture Perth and Kinross will also be displaying other items from the national collection.
The AK Bell Library in Perth will present material from Liz Lochhead’s play ‘Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off’ and manuscripts relating to Robert Burns.
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