King Charles and Queen Camilla view Bayeux Tapestry

King Charles and Queen Camilla have viewed the Bayeux Tapestry alongside President Emmanuel Macron of France and his wife, Brigitte.

They were able to view the tapestry in the British Museum in London a week before it goes on public display.

King Charles held a speech in which he 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.”

He also thanked the French President, saying, “Monsieur le Président, let me first extend my deepest appreciation to you, and to the French people, for the trust you have placed in the United Kingdom by agreeing to this unprecedented loan. 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…”

The tapestry was originally embroidered in England but was kept in France for centuries. It tells the story of the Norman Conquest and the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Tickets for the exhibition are already sold out for the rest of the year. However, tickets for January, February and March 2027 are expected to go on sale on 21 October.