By Serge Duchêne
Published on •Updated
French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to London on Wednesday 2 September to open an exhibition at the British Museum devoted to the Bayeux Tapestry, the 11th-century work recounting William the Conqueror’s conquest of England, the Elysee Palace announced on Friday.
Macron will also, on Thursday, have a “first in-depth exchange” with the new British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, the presidency said.
He is also expected to have “the opportunity to greet King Charles”, a presidential adviser added, without giving further details.
The main purpose of the visit is “the opening of the exhibition marking the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum”, an event described by a presidential adviser as a “particularly significant moment” for Franco-British relations and personally championed by the current occupant of the Elysee Palace.
The French leader wants to highlight this “exceptional loan” of the work, which left France for the first time in more than 900 years when it was transported to London under tight security.
On Friday, the British Museum unveiled some sections of the work illustrating the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the invasion led by William the Conqueror’s Norman army.
The exhibition will be open to the public from 10 September to 11 July 2027; 100 000 tickets have already been sold for the first four months.
The French president, who will be accompanied by his wife, Brigitte Macron, is “very much looking forward” to seeing the tapestry displayed “in the best possible conditions”.
In London, the 70-metre linen embroidery will be presented flat for the first time, rather than hung vertically as it has been in Bayeux for decades.
This staging will, according to the British Museum, make it easier to grasp the full scale of the work.
This historic transfer from Bayeux in Normandy has sparked protests from specialists who feared irreversible damage to a tapestry already weakened by 30 unstable tears and nearly 10 000 holes. An online petition circulated at the time of Macron’s decision, calling on the competent French authorities to drop the loan.
The journey nevertheless took place in optimal conditions, and the French Minister of Culture, Catherine Pegard, during a visit to London in mid-July, said she was delighted to see the thousand-year-old embroidery “in very good condition”.
The French leader’s visit will be the first by a European Union head of state or government since Andy Burnham took office last month, following the resignation of Keir Starmer, with whom Macron had worked closely and forged warm personal ties.
“The president had developed a very friendly and highly effective relationship with Prime Minister Starmer, particularly on the Ukraine and Middle East files”, a presidential official said.
Coordination with his successor is expected to be “just as important and regular”. “Contact was established immediately” with Burnham, the presidency added, highlighting his first steps in office, including a swift trip to Kyiv to demonstrate his support for Ukraine.
Additional sources • AFP, franceinfo