Katie Razzall
Culture editor

Image source, Getty Images

The British have been asking the French to loan the medieval artwork for the best part of a century.

David Musgrove, who co-wrote The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry, tells me the UK requested it in 1931, 1953, 1966, 1972 and 1980 to no avail.

It is now finally here in 2026 - and open to the public - though the original deal, between President Macron and PM Theresa May back in 2018, was apparently blown off course by the difficult post-Brexit relations between France and the UK in the Boris Johnson years.

Macron was determined for a reset and pushed the loan through under Keir Starmer’s premiership, against some pretty vocal opposition in France (including a petition calling it a "heritage crime").

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told me earlier this week it was “the most extraordinary act of friendship on behalf of the French government”.

1066 is a more significant date for the British than the French. I think Macron understood that - and it also accounts for much of the excitement and anticipation around what should be a blockbuster show.

Image source, Getty Images

The Bayeux Tapestry is history woven onto cloth. An embroidery almost 70m (230ft) in length and nearly 1,000 years old.

It tells the story of the events leading up to the Norman invasion of Britain and the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

The battle saw William of Normandy take the English throne from Harold Godwinson, becoming the first Norman king of England.

Historical debate still abounds over some of the facts of the events depicted in the tapestry, which is believed to have been embroidered by English women for the new Norman rulers in the 1070s.

It includes 58 separate scenes, with 627 human figures, 737 animals, 37 ships and 23 trees, and a Latin narration accompanying the images.

The work is made up of wool thread - dyed using plants - then woven into linen cloth.

Great efforts were made to perfectly preserve the tapestry when bringing it to the UK, but it has not always had such careful owners.

It is believed the final scenes of the tapestry have been lost or destroyed - in the 18th Century, during the French Revolution, it was rescued from being cut up to make covers for soldiers' carts.

Jacob Phillips
Reporting from the British Museum

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

The wait is over for thousands of ticket holders who will finally able to see the Bayeux Tapestry in full display nearly 1,000 years after it was created.

Th epic medieval "comic strip" tells the story of the events leading up to 1066 and the Norman conquest in just under 70m (230ft). Prepare for a succession crisis, all-out war, and even a comet.

Making its way to the UK via an unprecedented loan from France to the British Museum, the tapestry has been on its own epic journey.

The special envoy for the tapestry, Peter Ricketts, tells me transferring the work was "completely unchartered territory" and moving it was like a choreographed ballet.

The embroidery - it's not technically a tapestry - had to be hung on a folding stand, packed into a climate-controlled crate and surrounded by shock-absorbing springs to help it avoid any damage on the drive over.

The ticket drop for the exhibition was the museum equivalent of the Glastonbury queue - and the exhibition is sold out until the end of 2026.

We'll be bringing you all the latest reaction on the opening day of the exhibition as well as a special glimpse into some of the most significant moments of the tapestry itself.