King and Queen to visit Bayeux Tapestry in London with Burnham and Macron
It comes as the Tapestry returns to the UK for the first time a 1000 years
The King, the Queen, French president Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Andy Burnham are to visit the Bayeux Tapestry together later today (Wednesday 2nd September).
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.
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.
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.
Mr Macron is the first European leader to visit the UK since Mr Burnham took office.
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 pledged to be “bolder” in closer ties with the European Union, during his recent visit to Kyiv, and argued “greater co-operation” was needed across all areas.
Prime Minister Andy 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.
"The Bayeux Around Britain campaign will give communities across the UK the opportunity to learn about one of the defining stories of our past.
"As we celebrate our shared heritage, President Macron and I will continue to strengthen the relationship between our two nations."