Bayeux Tapestry fans are turned away by British Museum in favour of private gala dinner attended by Chancellor John Healey

Fans of the Bayeux Tapestry complained they were turned away without warning by the British Museum this week due to a private gala dinner which was attended by Chancellor John Healey and the Princess Royal.Ticket holders to the once-in-a-generation exhibition were queuing to enter the gallery on Wednesday when they were abruptly told the gallery was closing.Those waiting to see the almost 1,000-year-old embroidery were handed paper notices saying they would not be allowed to enter due to 'space and time restrictions', with some saying they were told by staff that a 'private event' was taking place.It later emerged that Samsung was holding a gala dinner at the museum to mark the opening of its Korea exhibition.Among those in attendance were Princess Anne, the Chancellor and Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader.Dr Ellen Walker took to social media to share her frustration and said: 'Waited since I was seven years old to see the Bayeux Tapestry. Got in an hour-long online queue to spend £50 on tickets. 'Got there ahead of time. Stood in a queue for 20 minutes. Then was told halfway through the queue that the gallery was closing.'The British Museum stinks.' The artefact is on loan to the UK from its usual museum in Bayeux, France, for a year in what is thought to be its first return to British soil since it was made The exhibition has been barraged with complaints about long queues and ticketholders being turned away without seeing the Bayeux Tapestry Disappointed visitors were handed a notice telling them they would not be able to enter the gallery and providing them with an email address to contactAnother visitor told the Daily Mail that the museum had 'really stuffed up' over the gala. 'Hundreds of people – many of whom had come from a long way away, including the American couple in front of us – were turned away from the exhibition, despite having legitimate tickets and having queued for 45 minutes, because of a 'private event' which meant the museum had to be closed earlier than usual,' they said.'Surely a private event can't be so last minute that the ticket holders couldn't have been warned?'A third ticketholder who was also turned away shared that she then received a survey from the British Museum asking her how her visit to the exhibition had been.'This may take longer than two minutes,' she said.The notices handed out to those in the queue added that they could contact the museum by email to arrange an alternative date or get a refund. The event on Wednesday celebrated the approaching 'Korea' showcase of artefacts taken from the art collection of Lee Kun-hee, the late Samsung chairman.The British Museum's chairman and former Chancellor George Osborne was present and addressed diners.It is understood that the museum had pre-planned to close from 4pm, and tickets for the Bayeux Tapestry had been sold for timed entrances up to 3.10pm.But organisers of the exhibition only planned for visitors to view the 68.3m embroidery work for 40 minutes, with problems arising as many wish to stay in the gallery for longer.The museum is set to introduce new measures in an attempt to hurry viewers through, including introducing an audio guide. It's not the first issue which has plagued the exhibition. This week Dr Yusuf Ali Osman, who is blind, threatened to sue the museum for breaching the Equality Act after he got in touch asking whether audio described tours would be available.The museum told him that self-guided visits would be prioritised over programmed tours, his legal representatives said, due to restrictions on visitor numbers.Dr Osman, from Croydon, said: 'I hope that this legal action will help make sure that blind and partially sighted people are properly considered when major exhibitions are planned, so that we can enjoy and engage with our national cultural institutions on a more equal footing.' And last week the British Museum apologised to visitors whose plans to see the tapestry were ruined by chaotic queues. Scores of people with timed tickets have been turned away or have had their allotted 40-minute slot cut short.One visitor, John Wilson, arrived for his 4.20pm slot but was forced to wait more than two hours before reaching the first panel. And just 20 minutes later, museum staff turned off the lights in the gallery and ordered everyone to leave. The artefact is on loan to the UK from its usual museum in Bayeux, France, for a year in what is thought to be its first return to British soil since it was made. A British Museum spokesperson said: 'We have seen unprecedented demand for the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition and our priority is to enable as many people to see it as possible, while maintaining our commitment to the best possible visitor experience.'Unfortunately, delays earlier in the day meant that some visitors were unable to enter at their allotted time. We have apologised to those affected and [are] giving a refund as well as rescheduling their ticket for free. This was an isolated situation and we appreciate visitors' patience and understanding.'