diff --git a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-viewer/RuleViewer.test.tsx b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-viewer/RuleViewer.test.tsx
index 0d8636c98bc..fcd9edebb2e 100644
--- a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-viewer/RuleViewer.test.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-viewer/RuleViewer.test.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ import { render, screen, userEvent, waitFor } from 'test/test-utils';
 import { byLabelText, byRole, byText } from 'testing-library-selector';
 
 import { setPluginLinksHook } from '@grafana/runtime';
-import { setupMswServer } from 'app/features/alerting/unified/mockApi';
+import server from '@grafana/test-utils/server';
+import { mockAlertRuleApi, setupMswServer } from 'app/features/alerting/unified/mockApi';
 import { AlertManagerDataSourceJsonData } from 'app/plugins/datasource/alertmanager/types';
 import { AccessControlAction } from 'app/types/accessControl';
 import { CombinedRule, RuleIdentifier } from 'app/types/unified-alerting';
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@ import {
   mockPluginLinkExtension,
   mockPromAlertingRule,
   mockRulerGrafanaRecordingRule,
+  mockRulerGrafanaRule,
 } from '../../mocks';
 import { grafanaRulerRule } from '../../mocks/grafanaRulerApi';
 import { grantPermissionsHelper } from '../../test/test-utils';
@@ -130,6 +132,8 @@ const dataSources = {
 };
 
 describe('RuleViewer', () => {
+  const api = mockAlertRuleApi(server);
+
   beforeEach(() => {
     setupDataSources(...Object.values(dataSources));
   });
@@ -249,19 +253,22 @@ describe('RuleViewer', () => {
 
         expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')).toHaveLength(7);
         expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[1]).toHaveTextContent(/6Provisioning2025-01-18 04:35:17/i);
-        expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[1]).toHaveTextContent('+3-3Latest');
+        expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[1]).toHaveTextContent('Updated by provisioning service');
+        expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[1]).toHaveTextContent('+4-3Latest');
 
         expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[2]).toHaveTextContent(/5Alerting2025-01-17 04:35:17/i);
-        expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[2]).toHaveTextContent('+5-5');
+        expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[2]).toHaveTextContent('+5-6');
 
         expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[3]).toHaveTextContent(/4different user2025-01-16 04:35:17/i);
-        expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[3]).toHaveTextContent('+5-5');
+        expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[3]).toHaveTextContent('Changed alert title and thresholds');
+        expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[3]).toHaveTextContent('+6-5');
 
         expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[4]).toHaveTextContent(/3user12025-01-15 04:35:17/i);
-        expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[4]).toHaveTextContent('+5-9');
+        expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[4]).toHaveTextContent('+5-10');
 
         expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[5]).toHaveTextContent(/2User ID foo2025-01-14 04:35:17/i);
-        expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[5]).toHaveTextContent('+11-7');
+        expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[5]).toHaveTextContent('Updated evaluation interval and routing');
+        expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[5]).toHaveTextContent('+12-7');
 
         expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')[6]).toHaveTextContent(/1Unknown 2025-01-13 04:35:17/i);
 
@@ -275,9 +282,10 @@ describe('RuleViewer', () => {
         await renderRuleViewer(mockRule, mockRuleIdentifier, ActiveTab.VersionHistory);
         expect(await screen.findByRole('button', { name: /Compare versions/i })).toBeDisabled();
 
-        expect(screen.getByRole('cell', { name: /provisioning/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
-        expect(screen.getByRole('cell', { name: /alerting/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
-        expect(screen.getByRole('cell', { name: /Unknown/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
+        // Check for special updated_by values - use getAllByRole since some text appears in multiple columns
+        expect(screen.getAllByRole('cell', { name: /provisioning/i }).length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+        expect(screen.getByRole('cell', { name: /^alerting$/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
+        expect(screen.getByRole('cell', { name: /^Unknown$/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
         expect(screen.getByRole('cell', { name: /user id foo/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
       });
 
@@ -321,6 +329,47 @@ describe('RuleViewer', () => {
         await renderRuleViewer(rule, ruleIdentifier);
         expect(screen.queryByText('Labels')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
       });
+
+      it('shows Notes column when versions have messages', async () => {
+        await renderRuleViewer(mockRule, mockRuleIdentifier, ActiveTab.VersionHistory);
+
+        expect(await screen.findByRole('columnheader', { name: /Notes/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
+        expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')).toHaveLength(7); // 1 header + 6 data rows
+        expect(screen.getByRole('cell', { name: /Updated by provisioning service/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
+        expect(screen.getByRole('cell', { name: /Changed alert title and thresholds/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
+        expect(screen.getByRole('cell', { name: /Updated evaluation interval and routing/i })).toBeInTheDocument();
+      });
+
+      it('does not show Notes column when no versions have messages', async () => {
+        const versionsWithoutMessages = [
+          mockRulerGrafanaRule(
+            {},
+            {
+              uid: grafanaRulerRule.grafana_alert.uid,
+              version: 2,
+              updated: '2025-01-14T09:35:17.000Z',
+              updated_by: { uid: 'foo', name: '' },
+            }
+          ),
+          mockRulerGrafanaRule(
+            {},
+            {
+              uid: grafanaRulerRule.grafana_alert.uid,
+              version: 1,
+              updated: '2025-01-13T09:35:17.000Z',
+              updated_by: null,
+            }
+          ),
+        ];
+        api.getAlertRuleVersionHistory(grafanaRulerRule.grafana_alert.uid, versionsWithoutMessages);
+
+        await renderRuleViewer(mockRule, mockRuleIdentifier, ActiveTab.VersionHistory);
+
+        await screen.findByRole('button', { name: /Compare versions/i });
+
+        expect(screen.getAllByRole('row')).toHaveLength(3); // 1 header + 2 data rows
+        expect(screen.queryByRole('columnheader', { name: /Notes/i })).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+      });
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-viewer/tabs/version-history/VersionHistoryTable.tsx b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-viewer/tabs/version-history/VersionHistoryTable.tsx
index 74dabe18449..ac6c75b93ef 100644
--- a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-viewer/tabs/version-history/VersionHistoryTable.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/components/rule-viewer/tabs/version-history/VersionHistoryTable.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
+import { css } from '@emotion/css';
 import { useMemo, useState } from 'react';
 
 import { dateTimeFormat, dateTimeFormatTimeAgo } from '@grafana/data';
 import { Trans, t } from '@grafana/i18n';
-import { Badge, Button, Checkbox, Column, InteractiveTable, Stack, Text } from '@grafana/ui';
+import { Badge, Button, Checkbox, Column, InteractiveTable, Stack, Text, useStyles2 } from '@grafana/ui';
 import { GRAFANA_RULES_SOURCE_NAME } from 'app/features/alerting/unified/utils/datasource';
 import { computeVersionDiff } from 'app/features/alerting/unified/utils/diff';
 import { RuleIdentifier } from 'app/types/unified-alerting';
@@ -33,6 +34,7 @@ export function VersionHistoryTable({
   onRestoreError,
   canRestore,
 }: VersionHistoryTableProps) {
+  const styles = useStyles2(getStyles);
   const [showConfirmModal, setShowConfirmModal] = useState(false);
   const [ruleToRestore, setRuleToRestore] = useState<RulerGrafanaRuleDTO<GrafanaRuleDefinition>>();
   const ruleToRestoreUid = ruleToRestore?.grafana_alert?.uid ?? '';
@@ -41,6 +43,8 @@ export function VersionHistoryTable({
     [ruleToRestoreUid]
   );
 
+  const hasAnyNotes = useMemo(() => ruleVersions.some((v) => v.grafana_alert.message), [ruleVersions]);
+
   const showConfirmation = (ruleToRestore: RulerGrafanaRuleDTO<GrafanaRuleDefinition>) => {
     setShowConfirmModal(true);
     setRuleToRestore(ruleToRestore);
@@ -52,6 +56,15 @@ export function VersionHistoryTable({
 
   const unknown = t('alerting.alertVersionHistory.unknown', 'Unknown');
 
+  const notesColumn: Column<RulerGrafanaRuleDTO<GrafanaRuleDefinition>> = {
+    id: 'notes',
+    header: t('core.versionHistory.table.notes', 'Notes'),
+    cell: ({ row }) => {
+      const message = row.original.grafana_alert.message;
+      return message || null;
+    },
+  };
+
   const columns: Array<Column<RulerGrafanaRuleDTO<GrafanaRuleDefinition>>> = [
     {
       disableGrow: true,
@@ -91,9 +104,12 @@ export function VersionHistoryTable({
         if (!value) {
           return unknown;
         }
-        return dateTimeFormat(value) + ' (' + dateTimeFormatTimeAgo(value) + ')';
+        return (
+          <span className={styles.nowrap}>{dateTimeFormat(value) + ' (' + dateTimeFormatTimeAgo(value) + ')'}</span>
+        );
       },
     },
+    ...(hasAnyNotes ? [notesColumn] : []),
     {
       id: 'diff',
       disableGrow: true,
@@ -179,3 +195,9 @@ export function VersionHistoryTable({
     </>
   );
 }
+
+const getStyles = () => ({
+  nowrap: css({
+    whiteSpace: 'nowrap',
+  }),
+});
diff --git a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/mocks/server/handlers/grafanaRuler.ts b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/mocks/server/handlers/grafanaRuler.ts
index b0f58408306..85905d480b3 100644
--- a/public/app/features/alerting/unified/mocks/server/handlers/grafanaRuler.ts
+++ b/public/app/features/alerting/unified/mocks/server/handlers/grafanaRuler.ts
@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@ export const rulerRuleVersionHistoryHandler = () => {
         uid: 'service',
         name: '',
       };
+      draft.grafana_alert.message = 'Updated by provisioning service';
     }),
     produce(grafanaRulerRule, (draft: RulerGrafanaRuleDTO<GrafanaRuleDefinition>) => {
       draft.grafana_alert.version = 5;
@@ -171,6 +172,7 @@ export const rulerRuleVersionHistoryHandler = () => {
         uid: 'different',
         name: 'different user',
       };
+      draft.grafana_alert.message = 'Changed alert title and thresholds';
     }),
     produce(grafanaRulerRule, (draft: RulerGrafanaRuleDTO<GrafanaRuleDefinition>) => {
       draft.grafana_alert.version = 3;
@@ -193,6 +195,7 @@ export const rulerRuleVersionHistoryHandler = () => {
         uid: 'foo',
         name: '',
       };
+      draft.grafana_alert.message = 'Updated evaluation interval and routing';
     }),
     produce(grafanaRulerRule, (draft: RulerGrafanaRuleDTO<GrafanaRuleDefinition>) => {
       draft.grafana_alert.version = 1;
diff --git a/public/app/types/unified-alerting-dto.ts b/public/app/types/unified-alerting-dto.ts
index c6440d0bac1..8bc02c3e7bd 100644
--- a/public/app/types/unified-alerting-dto.ts
+++ b/public/app/types/unified-alerting-dto.ts
@@ -293,6 +293,7 @@ export interface GrafanaRuleDefinition extends PostableGrafanaRuleDefinition {
   updated?: string;
   updated_by?: UpdatedBy | null;
   version?: number;
+  message?: string;
 }
 
 // types for Grafana-managed recording and alerting rules
diff --git a/public/locales/en-US/grafana.json b/public/locales/en-US/grafana.json
index 6aacf5f3939..baffdefbadf 100644
--- a/public/locales/en-US/grafana.json
+++ b/public/locales/en-US/grafana.json
@@ -4416,6 +4416,7 @@
       },
       "no-properties-changed": "No relevant properties changed",
       "table": {
+        "notes": "Notes",
         "updated": "Date",
         "updatedBy": "Updated By",
         "version": "Version"