The Bayeux Tapestry exhibition in London opened Thursday to much fanfare, in what British newspaper the Times has dubbed "Tapestry-mania," with more than 100,000 tickets already sold.
The tapestry is on loan from France, and comes after years of diplomacy, with the move being seen as a symbol of close ties between Paris and London. It is thought to be the first time the tapestry has gone on display outside of France.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham called the tapestry's loan a "return," while King Charles III hailed the move as a "precious symbol of trust at a time when trust seems sadly to be in short supply between nations."
The work is believed to have been made in England nearly 1,000 years ago before finding its way to Bayeux, now located in the French region of Normandy.
Two previous attempts to loan the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK were unsuccessful. Once was in 1953 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and again in 1966 for the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, which is depicted on the tapestry.
