Macron Visits Bayeux Tapestry with King Charles, PM Burnham

French President Emmanuel Macron commenced a two-day visit to the UK by visiting the Bayeux Tapestry alongside King Charles III and Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The 70-meter-long tapestry, depicting the Norman conquest of England in 1066, is on a 10-month exhibition in London for the first time since its creation in the 11th century.

Macron and his wife Brigitte, along with Burnham and his wife Marie-France van Heel, joined King Charles and Queen Camilla in viewing the tapestry at the British Museum. King Charles described the loan as "an unprecedented loan" and "a precious symbol of trust between the UK and France." Macron stated that the two countries are "as close as the threads in the artwork."

The exhibition opened to the public on September 10, and Macron's visit marked his first to the UK since Burnham assumed office. Burnham hailed the tapestry's return as a "landmark moment in the history of the two countries" and cited reduced illegal migration crossings of the English Channel as a testament to the cooperation between the two nations.