The King, the Queen, French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Andy Burnham are to visit the Bayeux Tapestry together on Wednesday.
In a public display of warm Anglo-French relations, the monarch, Camilla, Mr Macron and Mr Burnham will walk the length of the 70-metre masterpiece at the British Museum in London. They will be joined by France’s first lady Brigitte Macron and Mr Burnham’s wife Marie-France van Heel.
Historic Loan to the UK
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 party will stop 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.
Speeches and Reception
The King and Mr Macron will deliver speeches in celebration of the loan at a reception in the museum’s Great Court for representatives from Britain and France involved in the process and schoolchildren from both countries. Among those greeting the royals and the Macrons will be the museum’s director Nicholas Cullinan and its chair, former chancellor George Osborne.
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.
First Meeting for Burnham and Macron
Mr Macron is the first European leader to visit the UK since Mr Burnham took office, and it is the first time the pair will meet. The Prime Minister is then 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.
Mr Burnham said: “The return of the Bayeux Tapestry to England is a landmark moment in the history of our two nations, and I want people everywhere in the country to be able to enjoy it.” He added: “As we celebrate our shared heritage, President Macron and I will continue to strengthen the relationship between our two nations.”
At his first Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Burnham also said: “The loaning of the tapestry is a great example of French-British co-operation, the same co-operation that has helped us reduce summer small boat crossings to a seven-year low.”
National Programme and School Lessons
The Labour leader also said the Bayeux Around Britain programme, which will see the digital exhibition displayed in museums, galleries and castles in all four nations, would “give communities across the UK the opportunity to learn about one of the defining stories of our past”. A live national history lesson on October 14 will teach thousands of schoolchildren about the significance of the tapestry.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “This will be the first generation in 1,000 years who will be able to see this unique part of our heritage and we are determined that children from all backgrounds across every part of Britain have the chance to see it. The British Museum has pulled out all the stops to ensure that a generation of British children will remember it for the rest of their lives.”
British Museum director Mr Cullinan said the initiative to ensure the exhibition was not confined to London marked “the most ambitious and inclusive programme we or any museum in the UK has ever done”.
