diff --git a/src/components/structures/RoomView.tsx b/src/components/structures/RoomView.tsx
index 997d86e0dc..904ada4090 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/RoomView.tsx
+++ b/src/components/structures/RoomView.tsx
@@ -766,6 +766,15 @@ export class RoomView extends React.Component<IRoomProps, IRoomState> {
             newState.search = undefined;
         }
 
+        if (
+            room &&
+            this.getMainSplitContentType(room) !== MainSplitContentType.Timeline &&
+            newState.initialEventId !== this.state.initialEventId
+        ) {
+            // Ensure the right panel timeline is open to show the linked event
+            this.context.rightPanelStore.setCard({ phase: RightPanelPhases.Timeline }, true, room.roomId);
+        }
+
         this.setState(newState as IRoomState);
         // At this point, newState.roomId could be null (e.g. the alias might not
         // have been resolved yet) so anything called here must handle this case.
diff --git a/test/unit-tests/components/structures/RoomView-test.tsx b/test/unit-tests/components/structures/RoomView-test.tsx
index 58a26ab73e..1abdd91f20 100644
--- a/test/unit-tests/components/structures/RoomView-test.tsx
+++ b/test/unit-tests/components/structures/RoomView-test.tsx
@@ -22,32 +22,32 @@ import {
     RoomStateEvent,
     SearchResult,
 } from "matrix-js-sdk/src/matrix";
-import { type CryptoApi, UserVerificationStatus, CryptoEvent } from "matrix-js-sdk/src/crypto-api";
+import { type CryptoApi, CryptoEvent, UserVerificationStatus } from "matrix-js-sdk/src/crypto-api";
 import { KnownMembership } from "matrix-js-sdk/src/types";
 import {
-    fireEvent,
-    render,
-    screen,
-    type RenderResult,
-    waitForElementToBeRemoved,
-    waitFor,
     act,
     cleanup,
+    fireEvent,
+    render,
+    type RenderResult,
+    screen,
+    waitFor,
+    waitForElementToBeRemoved,
 } from "jest-matrix-react";
 import userEvent from "@testing-library/user-event";
 
 import {
-    stubClient,
-    mockPlatformPeg,
-    unmockPlatformPeg,
+    createTestClient,
+    emitPromise,
+    filterConsole,
     flushPromises,
     mkEvent,
-    setupAsyncStoreWithClient,
-    filterConsole,
     mkRoomMemberJoinEvent,
     mkThirdPartyInviteEvent,
-    emitPromise,
-    createTestClient,
+    mockPlatformPeg,
+    setupAsyncStoreWithClient,
+    stubClient,
+    unmockPlatformPeg,
     untilDispatch,
 } from "../../../test-utils";
 import { MatrixClientPeg } from "../../../../src/MatrixClientPeg";
@@ -628,6 +628,26 @@ describe("RoomView", () => {
             const { asFragment } = await mountRoomView();
             expect(asFragment()).toMatchSnapshot();
         });
+
+        it("should open timeline card when navigating to permalink", async () => {
+            jest.spyOn(room, "getMyMembership").mockReturnValue(KnownMembership.Join);
+            await mountRoomView();
+
+            stores.rightPanelStore.setCard({ phase: RightPanelPhases.RoomSummary });
+
+            expect(stores.rightPanelStore.isOpen).toEqual(true);
+            expect(stores.rightPanelStore.currentCard.phase).not.toEqual(RightPanelPhases.Timeline);
+
+            await stores.roomViewStore.viewRoom({
+                action: Action.ViewRoom,
+                room_id: stores.roomViewStore.getRoomId()!,
+                event_id: "$eventId",
+                metricsTrigger: undefined,
+            });
+
+            expect(stores.rightPanelStore.isOpen).toEqual(true);
+            expect(stores.rightPanelStore.currentCard.phase).toEqual(RightPanelPhases.Timeline);
+        });
     });
 
     describe("for a local room", () => {
diff --git a/test/unit-tests/components/structures/__snapshots__/RoomView-test.tsx.snap b/test/unit-tests/components/structures/__snapshots__/RoomView-test.tsx.snap
index 6858a9a6dd..1b0165991b 100644
--- a/test/unit-tests/components/structures/__snapshots__/RoomView-test.tsx.snap
+++ b/test/unit-tests/components/structures/__snapshots__/RoomView-test.tsx.snap
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ exports[`RoomView for a local room in state NEW should match the snapshot 1`] =
             >
               <svg
                 aria-label="Messages in this room are not end-to-end encrypted"
-                aria-labelledby="_r_o1_"
+                aria-labelledby="_r_qd_"
                 class="mx_E2EIcon mx_MessageComposer_e2eIcon"
                 color="var(--cpd-color-icon-info-primary)"
                 fill="currentColor"