It was the highlight of Emmanuel Macron’s two-day visit to the United Kingdom, which began on Wednesday: the French president and the British prime minister joined King Charles III and Queen Camilla for a private viewing of the Bayeux Tapestry.
The masterpiece of medieval art, which depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066, is a centuries-old symbol of Franco-British relations.
Macron personally decided on the one-year loan during his state visit to the UK in July 2025, to “reinvigorate cultural relations” and underline “the trust that now exists” between Paris and London.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham hailed “a major moment in the history” of the two countries.
“As we celebrate our shared heritage, President Macron and I will continue to strengthen the ties between our two nations”, he said in a statement.
France has loaned the tapestry, insured for €960 million, for a ten-month exhibition opening to the public on 10 September.
It was transported from Bayeux in north-western France to London by road and rail in a high-security convoy in July. It marks the first time the tapestry has been on British soil since the 11th century.
Embroidered in wool on linen, the artwork depicts the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings in October 1066, when William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold’s Anglo-Saxon army.
The invasion ended Saxon rule, made William the Conqueror the first Norman king of England and forged a close and complex relationship between Britain and France.
The year 1066 remains one of the best-known dates in British history, and the tapestry’s loan is considered a major cultural event.
Burnham’s government announced on Wednesday that a digital exhibition will bring the tapestry’s story to locations across the UK, while schoolchildren will take part in a live national history lesson on the subject on 14 October.
The loan was announced during Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to the United Kingdom in July 2025. In return, the British Museum is lending a number of artefacts, including Viking and Anglo-Saxon treasures, to museums in Normandy.
Ukraine, Middle East and migration on talks agenda
Burnham, who took office six weeks ago, will receive Macron at 10 Downing Street on Thursday for talks.
Burnham’s office said efforts to prevent migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats would top the agenda. The UK government says stronger cooperation between British and French law enforcement agencies has helped reduce the number of crossings by more than 40% this year compared with last year.
The wars in Iran and Ukraine are also expected to be discussed during the talks.
France and the United Kingdom have led efforts to strengthen European support for Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion more than four and a half years ago, and Burnham has pledged to maintain British support for Kyiv.
The Prime Minister also wants to forge closer ties with the European Union in an effort to reverse what he has called a “decade of weak growth” following the 2016 Brexit referendum.