Emmanuel Macron first made the announcement as a post-Brexit gesture in 2018, during the 35th Franco-British summit at Sandhurst in Berkshire, England. Seven years later, the promise is becoming reality: the Bayeux Tapestry, the thousand-year-old embroidery depicting the feats of William the Conqueror and the Norman invasion of England in 1066, will be loaned to the United Kingdom. The French presidential office made the announcement as Macron began a state visit to the UK on Tuesday, July 8. The nearly 70-meter-long linen masterpiece is expected to be displayed for almost a year, from summer 2026 to August 2027, at the British Museum in London.
"At a time when Franco-British relations are warming, it makes sense," said Hervé Morin, centrist president of the Normandy administrative region, who had strongly advocated for the loan. The project took shape as the museum holding the tapestry prepared to close its doors for two years on September 1. "You cannot understand how deeply the histories of Normandy and the United Kingdom are intertwined," Morin said. "The blood of Charles III is that of William the Conqueror," he emphasized, already looking ahead to the 2027 celebrations marking the 1,000th anniversary of the birth of William the Conqueror.
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