Billionaires, royalty, and presidents all want a closer look at the Bayeux Tapestry. On Wednesday evening, King Charles, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham had a private look at the nearly 70-meter-long embroidered cloth at the British Museum in London. The highly anticipated exhibition opens September 10 and is on view through to July 11, 2027.
In a speech, King Charles said that the tapestry “tells the story of the beginning of what I like to think of as the French side of my family’s history in these islands,” referring to the fact that he’s a direct descendant of William, Duke of Normandy, who defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
He spoke at length about the relationship between Britain and France. “We have defended our values together in times of peril: we continue to do so today across the world. May this Tapestry—and the treasures that will travel in return—stand as symbols not only of our shared past, but our shared future: a future woven, as it should be, by Britain and France together,” said King Charles. “The tapestry’s story is one of ambition and uncertainty, of oaths and journeys, of ships, councils, kings, comets and consequences. Yet it is not merely an English story, nor only a Norman one. Indeed, from the moment of its creation, it may have brought together our two peoples.”
The loan of the Bayeux Tapestry has been 96 years in the making. The loan request was first proposed in 1930; on a state visit to the UK in July 2025, Macron announced that the tapestry would be making its way to the UK. Macron said that the exhibition is a symbol of how “we are united” and a “reminder of what our countries can do if they join forces.”
Last month, The Guardian reported that the British Museum privately hosted billionaire tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel for a VIP viewing of the tapestry. The visit was hosted by Charlotte Appleyard, the museum’s director of development, on August 18.
