Grandmother of all shows

An immense coffin, shining with gold and thousands of years old is one of the magnificent treasures unveiled today at the most eagerly anticipated exhibition of the year, Tutankhamun And The Golden Age Of The Pharaohs.

The coffin, almost seven feet long, gilded with red gold and inlaid with obsidian, alabaster and glass, was the final resting place of Tutankhamun's great-grandmother Tjuya, who died in 1353 BC.

When the tomb in the Valley of the Kings was unearthed by Theodore Davis in 1905, it was regarded as the greatest discovery of ancient Egyptian artefacts ever made - until Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922.

The treasures discovered by Carter are the highlight of the exhibition at the O2, the first time such a major collection of Egyptian treasures has been seen in Britain for 35 years.

The ceremonial opening was being attended today by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, who will see the new display of artefacts excavated from Tutankhamun's tomb.

All the items on show are at least 3,000 years old, including 50 excavated from the tomb. Among the treasures the public will see will be the royal crown discovered on the mummified head of Tutankhamun and one of the gold and precious stone inlaid coffinettes that contained his embalmed internal organs. Although the discovery of his tomb was one of the greatest archaeological finds ever made, Tutankhamun appears to have been a minor king, with little impact on the Egyptian empire.

Believed to be aged nine when he became pharaoh, he ruled for just nine years before his untimely demise. Egyptologists believe that he married his half-sister, Ankhesenamun, but the couple had no surviving children. The foetuses of two stillborn babies were discovered in his tomb.

The cause of his death has been much discussed. Some experts believe he was murdered by a rival. In 1968, an X-ray of his body revealed damage to the skull that could have been caused by a blow. But more recent work suggests that a hole in the head appears to have been drilled, most probably by embalmers. Moreover, a CT scan in 2005 revealed a fracture to his leg. It is believed that the break took place days before death and that Tutankhamun died of gangrene from the wound.

The exhibition in 1972 attracted more than 1.7 million visitors, setting a record. The death mask of Tutankhamun that was the star of that show is now too fragile to leave Egypt.

The exhibition is being seen as a crucial attraction for London's tourist industry over the coming year. Charles and Camilla will tour the exhibition and witness the installation of the final artefacts.