Antique swords from the Royal Collection have been withheld from an exhibition which would have been staged in Russia, the institution has confirmed.
The three weapons were going to be loaned to the Moscow Kremlin Museums, but permission was “postponed” in mid-February as tensions between Russia and Ukraine intensified.
The move was mirrored by other museums across Europe who withheld exhibits for “The Duel: from Trial by Combat to a Noble Crime” which was scheduled to open on March 4 but has been postponed.
A Royal Collection Trust spokesperson said: “A decision to postpone a loan of three swords from the Royal Collection to the Kremlin Museums in Moscow was made in mid-February.”
The Russian institution said on its website: “The Moscow Kremlin Museums report the postponement of the exhibition ‘The Duel: from Trial by Combat to a Noble Crime’, which was scheduled to open on March 4 2022.
“The core of the project consists of exhibits from European museums, which were forced to withdraw them before the time due to the geopolitical situation.”
The Royal Collection swords are reportedly from the 17th century and were due to represent weapons used in historic duels with one said to have belonged to Charles 1.
