The real Tutankhamun was discovered in the Valley of the Kings by a celebrated Egyptologist in an expedition funded by a peer of the realm.

Now, it has been announced that Britain has an "equivalent" archaeological treasure - only this time it was found during roadworks in south Essex between an Aldi supermarket and a pub.

That, however, has only increased the excitement of experts who are now revealing the full secrets of what they believe to be the earliest Christian royal tomb ever unearthed in the UK.

Painstaking excavation of the site at Prittlewell near Southend-on-sea has revealed a trove of artefacts providing an unrivalled snapshot of Anglo-Saxon England at the end of the pagan era.

The haul includes an ornate lyre, a painted box and a flagon thought to have come from Syria, mingled with golden foil crosses. Those, plus the sheer size of the chamber - 13ft by 13ft and 5ft deep - has led archaeologists at the Museum of London to conclude the occupant was very probably royal.