King Charles and Queen Camilla will walk the length of the 70-metre Bayeux Tapestry, which is on loan at the British Museum in London, along with French president Emmanuel Macron12:00, 02 Sep 2026Updated 20:36, 02 Sep 2026The King hosted French president Emmanuel Macron for a special preview viewing of the Bayeux Tapestry - after being credited with helping to secure its loan to the UK.‌The two men put on a warm display as along with Queen Camilla and Prime Minister Andy Burnham, they walked the length of the 70-metre masterpiece, which has gone on show at the British Museum in London. They were also joined by France’s first lady Brigitte Macron and Mr Burnham’s wife Marie-France van Heel.‌The Tapestry – the woven record of the Norman conquest – has returned to the UK for the first time in almost 1,000 years, on loan until September 2027 as part of a special trilateral agreement between the UK, France and the museum.‌The loan of the artwork has already broken records for the British Museum, with it recording the single biggest day of ticket sales in its history, generating more than £2.4million in sales in the first 24 hours.Last night, the royal party and their guests stopped at key moments along the 11th century artwork to hear from curators about historic events such as the coronation of Harold Godwinson and the much-disputed depiction of his death by an arrow to the eye at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.‌Charles and Camilla’s state visit to France in 2023 and returning the favour by Mr Macron and his wife last year have been credited with helping securing the loan of the tapestry for the British Museum.Palace sources said while discussions have of course been going on for many years, the visits played a key part in building the 'bilateral bonhomie' that has made it possible.‌And in a speech to the French president after viewing the tapestry, the King, who spoke in both English and French, said: “Let me first extend my deepest appreciation to you, and to the French people, for the trust you have placed in the United Kingdom by agreeing to this unprecedented loan.“I well remember our discussing this possibility during our State Visit to France in 2023; it is a particular joy therefore, to see the hope become reality. Indeed, it is thanks to the certainty you have always had – and which I very much share – that we are here this evening in order that the Tapestry should be seen, in London, for the benefit of the peoples of both our countries, the best possible symbol of that 'Entente amicale', of which we have both spoken so fondly.”‌He King added of those depicted in the tapestry: “I cannot help but feel that its protagonists, on both sides of the Channel, would look with satisfaction on the Franco- British gathering here today, and be pleased that our two great nations, which share such fundamental values, have prospered together, across the tides of History.“As Shakespeare said in The Tempest, 'what is past is prologue'. We have defended our values together in times of peril; we continue do so today across the World.‌"It once depicted warriors crossing the Channel; yet today it forms part of a cultural exchange that will see some of the British Museum's own precious artefacts travel to France in return, in a spirit of friendship."The tapestry had been on display at the Bayeux Tapestry Museum in Bayeux in Normandy since 1983 and will return there when the museum reopens after a two-year renovation project.The next wave of public tickets for The Bayeux Tapestry will go on sale on October 21 at 10am, and further tickets covering the final months of the exhibition will be released at a later date. Tickets are currently sold out until December.It will be on display at the British Museum until July next year, with around 7.5 million expected to visit.Content cannot be displayed without consent