The BBC's Pauline McLean reports from the opening of the Museum of Scotland

Staff at the £52.5m museum in Edinburgh had worked flat-out to try to complete last-minute work on a project that has taken 40 years to materialise.

The Queen, who inaugurated the Museum of Scotland in 1994, said she was delighted to be able to see the completed building.

"It will be a fitting home for all the magnificent objects around us, a home to tell their story for our benefit and the benefit and enjoyment for those who come after us," she said.

A specially commissioned fanfare was played for the Queen's arrival.

Nick Higham reports on the museum's contents

The public will be admitted on Tuesday to view 10,000 exhibits which tell the story of the nation and display Scotland's rich artistic and cultural heritage.

Some of the collection used to be poorly displayed in Edinburgh's old Museum of Antiquities.

The new displays guide the visitor through Scotland's past, from its rich prehistoric heritage to a display of everyday items from modern times.

Celebrity choice

Public figures were invited to choose an object they thought represented the 20th century. Prime Minister Tony Blair chose a Fender Stratocaster guitar while actor Sean Connery, a former milkman, suggested a milk bottle.

Sean Connery opted for milk

Other sections deal with the kingdom of the Scots, industry and empire, and Victorians and Edwardians.

The biggest exhibit in the building is an 18th century Newcomen steam engine and locomotive, which had to be put in place before construction, then built around.

Scotland's wars with England are represented by gold cloth from the tomb of Robert the Bruce and a container carried into the battle of Bannockburn.

As well as Scotland's past of high culture, its darker side is also represented - such as the Maiden, a primitive guillotine once used in Edinburgh.

Critics have suggested that the collection has major gaps in Scottish history. But others say it just needs a little time. "It's been done so brilliantly well but give it a year or two to settle and we'll start to think about what else we need to do," said art historian Professor Duncan Macmillan.

The site of the museum was first set aside in 1951, but it was only in 1991 that an international architectural competition was launched to find a design.