A thief who stole a tapestry panel from St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh has returned the artwork with a letter of apology.

One of the 305 panels of the Scottish Diaspora Tapestry, which celebrates Scottish culture around the world, was taken on May 7.

More than 1000 people contributed to the work, which went on display in its entirety for the first time on May 4.

CCTV footage showed a man viewing the tapestry at around 3.30pm before removing a panel known as The Kirk and leaving by the gift shop.

This week, the panel was sent to police with a letter of apology and has now been returned to its owners. The thief has not been traced.

A Battle of Prestonpans Heritage Trust spokesman said: "The Scottish Diaspora Tapestry team are greatly relieved to hear of the missing panel's safe return, as are the volunteer stitchers in the Netherlands who so lovingly created it.

"We are grateful for all the messages of support we have received from around the world and look forward to reuniting the panel with its companion pieces in the near future."