LONDON: France will loan the 11th century Bayeux Tapestry to the British Museum for 10 months from September 2026, the UK government and French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday during his state visit to Britain.

The loan of the embroidery depicting the 1066 Norman conquest of England will be made in exchange for ancient “treasures” mainly from the Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo site, one of England’s most important archaeological sites.

They will be loaned to museums in Caen and Rouen in northern France under the arrangement, two regional French newspapers Macron spoke to reported. The Tapestry’s loan will mark the first time in nearly 1,000 years that the 68-metre-long (224-foot-long) piece, which dates from around 1077, will have been on British soil.

The museum in the Normandy city of Bayeux that normally houses the tapestry is to close for two years for renovation from September 1. “By its symbolic, unprecedented nature, and the priceless value of the loaned pieces, this unprecedented exchange signifies the desire to revitalise the cultural relationship between our two countries and the trust that exists between us today,” Macron told Ouest France newspaper.

UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called it “one of the most iconic pieces of art ever produced in the UK” as she welcomed the exchange. While its origins have been the subject of speculation, some studies indicate the tapestry was probably designed and made in England.

“This loan is a symbol of our shared history with our friends in France, a relationship built over centuries and one that continues to endure,” she said.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2025