The author was given a sneak peek at a new Jacobites exhibition which opens at Edinburgh’s National Museum of Scotland on Friday.

Outlander creator, Diana Gabaldon, looks thrilled as she handles a rare silver relic left behind by Bonnie Prince Charlie as he fled the Battle of Culloden.

And the former university professor — who meticulously researched the 18th century uprisings for her series of best-selling books — was “bowled over” as she got up close to the historical treasures.

The exhibition’s lead curator David Forsyth says: “Diana does her research very carefully and has brought a real freshness to the Jacobite story with her books. “So you could see how excited and energised she was by her visit. It was really lovely as Diana was totally bowled over by the exhibits.” Mum-of-three Diana told her two million soc­ial media followers it had been a “great privilege” to be given a preview tour before returning home to Arizona for the impending birth of her first grandchild.

The Battle of Culloden, near Inverness, in 1745 was the last battle fought on British soil.

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