King Charles quoted Shakespeare's "what is past is prologue" line after touring the Bayeux Tapestry with French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Andy Burnham. In a public display of warm Anglo-French relations, Charles, Camilla, Macron and Burnham walked the length of the 70-metre masterpiece at the British Museum in London on Wednesday evening.
They were 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.
King's speech highlights 'entente amicale'
In his speech after the tour, at a podium backed by European Union, French and Union flags, the King told the French president: "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."
Standing on the same podium, Mr Macron later echoed the "entente amicale" sentiment as he spoke of "advancing the UK reset" with the EU. He is the first European leader to visit the UK since Mr Burnham took office, and it was the first time the pair had met.
Macron on UK reset and shared history
Addressing the Prime Minister, the French president said: "While we do not always see eye to eye, we respect one another, remain open to discussing everything, including advancing the UK reset with the European Union, always closer and together. And this is why I really do hope that the entente amicale he announced will inspire this new path forward."
The tapestry's journey across the Channel through British and French-built tunnels "is a reminder of what our two countries can achieve when they join forces", he added.
In the dark exhibition space, the three leaders and their wives shared laughter and peered down at the woven record of the Norman conquest, listening intently to curators. Charles showed the French president his preferred section, turning around to tell Mr Macron "oh, this is my favourite bit" while pointing to a group of Normans pulling a cart. The two men laughed as the King said "they've got an enormous amount of wine".
Light-hearted moments and historical reflections
At the end of their walk, it was pointed out to Mr Burnham, Mr Macron and the King that a further 1,000 years of history is not included in the work. The Prime Minister joked to the French president, who was stood beside Charles: "Made in England, they couldn't bear to show the end… too difficult." The French president smiled and replied "happy end, we're here", prompting a laugh from Charles.
The three men then gave their speeches watched by a crowd including school children in the museum's Great Court. The tapestry was "most likely to have been embroidered in Canterbury by English", Charles said, before joking: "The Bayeux Tapestry – or the Canterbury embroidery as it might just have been called… recounts a conflict, yet here it is today, nearly a thousand years later, as a precious symbol of trust, at a time when trust seems sadly to be in short supply between nations.
"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."
Charles was the Prince of Wales when he last publicly saw the tapestry, during a 1987 visit with Diana, Princess of Wales to mark the 900th anniversary of William the Conqueror's death.
Arrival and upcoming bilateral meeting
Before their arrival, Great Russell Street was lined with members of the public waiting to catch a glimpse of the leaders. Mr Burnham waved to a crowd of press as he and Mrs van Heel, wearing a white dress, exited their car shortly before 6pm to wait for their companions. About 10 minutes later, to cheers from onlookers, the King and Mr Macron drove up in one car and Camilla and the first lady, both also in white dresses, in another. Prior to their arrival, Charles and Camilla had been hosting the Macrons for private tea at Clarence House.
Director of the British Museum, Dr Nicholas Cullinan, and the museum's chairman, former chancellor George Osborne, welcomed them. They all walked up the museum's grand stairs and were greeted by Mr Burnham and his wife in its Western Great Hall. The French president stayed close to the King's side as they spoke to politicians from both sides of the Channel, while Mr Burnham hung back, chatting with other attendees.
The monarch and the president enjoy a friendly rapport, with the King hosting the Macrons for a state visit in July last year. Charles rebranded the famous entente cordiale between the two nations as the entente "amicale" in his banquet speech in Windsor Castle.
The Prime Minister is set to welcome Mr Macron to Downing Street on Thursday for their first bilateral meeting, which is expected to focus on tackling small boat crossings, the wars in Ukraine and Iran, and trade and energy. The visit is seen as another sign the former mayor of Greater Manchester looks set to continue his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer's policy of a "reset" of relations between the UK and the EU.
