The French president, arriving in London on Wednesday, unveiled alongside Charles III the Bayeux tapestry, loaned to the British Museum and exhibited from September 10, 2026 to July 11, 2027. Emmanuel Macron also met British Prime Minister Andy Burnham for the first time before an interview on Thursday at Downing Street.

Published on: 02/09/2026 - 08:19 Modified on: 02/09/2026 - 22:31

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King Charles III considered, Wednesday September 2, that the loan of the Bayeux tapestry to the United Kingdom by France constituted a “precious symbol of confidence”, after admiring the famous embroidery in preview at the British Museum with Emmanuel Macron.

The monarch expressed “a particular joy” at seeing this tapestry on British soil, which embodies “the friendly understanding of which we speak with so much affection”.

He had recently received Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron at his London residence at Clarence House with his wife Camilla.

The Macron couple, King Charles III and Queen Camilla admired this 11th century work, 70 meters long, exhibited for the first time flat in a dimly lit room, also in the presence of the wife of British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Marie-France van Heel, and representatives of the museum.

The French president said he hoped that France and the United Kingdom could "weave a bond as close as the threads" of this "thousand-year-old embroidery", loaned for a year to the famous museum, in a speech after his visit.

“Even if we do not always agree on everything, we respect each other (...), and remain open to discussion on all subjects, including the relaunch of relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union, he added.

First meeting with Andy Burnham

Andy Burnham, whom Emmanuel Macron met for the first time, had greeted in advance "a major moment in the history" of the two countries. “As we celebrate our common heritage, President Macron and I will continue to strengthen the ties between our two nations,” he said in a statement.

Emmanuel Macron personally decided on the one-year loan of the Bayeux tapestry during his state visit to the United Kingdom in July 2025, to "revive the cultural relationship" and mark "the trust that there is today" between Paris and London.

The tapestry arrived at the British Museum on July 10, despite the objections of certain experts and heritage defenders in France who feared irreversible damage to this masterpiece during its movement. The French Minister of Culture, Catherine Pgard, was delighted in mid-July in London to see this thousand-year-old jewel “in very good condition”.

The exhibition in the prestigious London museum, which reveals the 70-meter work for the first time flat and in one piece, will open its doors to the public from September 10, 2026 to July 11, 2027. When it returns to Bayeux (Normandy), Emmanuel Macron will no longer be president.

Interview at Downing Street on Thursday

It is therefore a leader at the end of his reign who will meet a newly installed British Prime Minister in London, first around the famous tapestry on Wednesday, then for a formal interview in Downing Street on Thursday.

Also (re)see The Bayeux Tapestry in London: a controversial loan

Andy Burnham replaced Keir Starmer, a Labor member like him, in mid-July, and the French president is the second foreign leader he receives, after the Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky at the end of July.

After years of checkered Franco-British relations, the Macron-Starmer duo displayed a certain complicity, at the forefront of support for Ukraine or the search for solutions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, blocked by the war between the United States and Iran.

They had “established a very friendly and very effective relationship”, according to Emmanuel Macron’s entourage. Will the same understanding be there with Andy Burnham, who has so far focused on domestic issues?

The fight against Channel crossings by migrants on “small boats” remains an essential subject for London. Andy Burnham indicated on Tuesday that he would thank Emmanuel Macron “for the cooperation which allowed us to prevent the crossing of more than 48,000 people”.

“The loan of the tapestry is a fine example of Franco-British cooperation, the same cooperation which has allowed us to reduce the number of small boat crossings to its lowest level in seven years,” Andy Burnham declared in Parliament on Wednesday.

The British government recorded this summer the lowest number of Channel crossings by migrants since 2019, welcoming the success of its cooperation agreement with France, renewed for three years in April.

On the French side, we intend to emphasize geopolitical crises, defense, space and energy, particularly nuclear.

We also hope that Andy Burnham will confirm "the pursuit of rapprochement with the European Union" initiated by his predecessor, ten years after Brexit.

With AFP

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