diff --git a/src/editor/Editor.js b/src/editor/Editor.js
index 39234007..7bfd6d78 100644
--- a/src/editor/Editor.js
+++ b/src/editor/Editor.js
@@ -417,11 +417,22 @@ class Editor extends EditorStartup {
       $id("change_image_url").style.display = 'block';
     } else {
       // regular URL
-      this.svgCanvas.embedImage(url, function (dataURI) {
-        // Couldn't embed, so show warning
-        $id('url_notice').style.display = (!dataURI) ? 'block' : 'none';
-        this.defaultImageURL = url;
-      });
+      const self = this;
+      const promised = this.svgCanvas.embedImage(url);
+      // eslint-disable-next-line promise/catch-or-return
+      promised
+        .then( function (dataURI) {
+          // eslint-disable-next-line promise/always-return
+          $id('url_notice').style.display = (!dataURI) ? 'block' : 'none';
+          // switch into "select" mode if we've clicked on an element
+          self.svgCanvas.setMode('select');
+          self.svgCanvas.selectOnly(self.svgCanvas.getSelectedElems(), true);
+        }, function (error) {
+          // eslint-disable-next-line no-console
+          console.log("error =", error);
+          seAlert(self.i18next.t('tools.no_embed'));
+          self.svgCanvas.deleteSelectedElements();
+        });
       $id("image_url").style.display = 'block';
       $id("change_image_url").style.display = 'none';
     }
diff --git a/src/editor/panels/TopPanel.js b/src/editor/panels/TopPanel.js
index c8a03715..c0a5fcb6 100644
--- a/src/editor/panels/TopPanel.js
+++ b/src/editor/panels/TopPanel.js
@@ -292,12 +292,14 @@ class TopPanel {
         $id("g_panel").style.display = 'block';
       }
       // siblings
-      const selements = Array.prototype.filter.call(elem.parentNode.children, function(child){
-        return child !== elem;
-      });
-      if (elem.parentNode.tagName === "a" && !selements.length) {
-        $id("a_panel").style.display = 'block';
-        linkHref = this.editor.svgCanvas.getHref(elem.parentNode);
+      if (elem.parentNode) {
+        const selements = Array.prototype.filter.call(elem.parentNode.children, function(child){
+          return child !== elem;
+        });
+        if (elem.parentNode.tagName === "a" && !selements.length) {
+          $id("a_panel").style.display = 'block';
+          linkHref = this.editor.svgCanvas.getHref(elem.parentNode);
+        }
       }
 
       // Hide/show the make_link buttons
diff --git a/src/svgcanvas/svg-exec.js b/src/svgcanvas/svg-exec.js
index b4dd6a91..3052deb3 100644
--- a/src/svgcanvas/svg-exec.js
+++ b/src/svgcanvas/svg-exec.js
@@ -651,7 +651,7 @@ export const embedImage = function (src) {
       resolve(svgContext_.getEncodableImages(src));
     });
     imgI.addEventListener("error", (e) => {
-      reject(new Error(`error loading image: ${e.currentTarget.attributes.src.value}`));
+      reject(`error loading image: ${e.currentTarget.attributes.src.value}`);
     });
     imgI.setAttribute('src', src);
   });