Bayeux Tapestry smuggled into Britain for first visit in 1,000 years 

The Bayeux Tapestry has arrived in Britain for the first time in nearly 1,000 years following a secret journey from France.

The priceless 70-metre-long medieval artwork depicting the Norman conquest of England was discreetly delivered to the British Museum in London in a high-security operation overnight on Friday.

Crafted from wool thread stitched onto linen, the tapestry accurately depicts the intertwined – sometimes bloody – histories of Britain and France, and is symbolic for both countries.

Although expected in London for months, details of the tapestry’s 11-hour road journey were hidden for security reasons.

The tapestry is making its first visit to Britain since it was made – probably in England – close to 1,000 years ago. It will be on display at the museum until July 2027.

The loan is seen as symbolic of closer French-British relations as London works to revive ties following its exit from the European Union.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who announced the loan last year, hailed the transfer as a celebration of Franco-British relations.

In an article published in The Times newspaper, he called it a “tangible expression of long-standing friendship and a sign of our shared desire to see France and the United Kingdom build their future together”.

In return, the British Museum will loan France the Sutton Hoo collection of Anglo-Saxon artefacts, one of England’s most important archaeological finds.

“I can confirm that The Bayeux Tapestry has just arrived safely and securely at the British Museum,” George Osborne, chair of the British Museum, said in a post on X.

“It feels extraordinary that after so much work and planning and care and thought that it’s actually happening,” British Museum Director Nicholas Cullinan told The Associated Press news agency.

To get the artwork from its home in Bayeux, Normandy, to London, the piece was folded into a climate-controlled case with a shock-absorbing cradle. A police-escorted truck then carried it through the Channel Tunnel.

The tapestry’s 58 scenes depict the bloody events surrounding the Norman invasion of England in 1066, showing banquets, fleets of Viking-style ships, and armoured knights wielding swords and spears.

The upheaval culminated in the epic Battle of Hastings in October 1066 when William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold’s Anglo-Saxon forces and became the first Norman king of England.

Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William’s half-brother, commissioned the piece, and women in England – possibly nuns – likely crafted it before it was taken to France, according to the Bayeux Tapestry Museum.

The loan to Britain coincides with renovations at the Bayeux museum housing the tapestry. In return, the British Museum will loan the Normandy museum artefacts from a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon ship burial.

The Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum has already sold thousands of tickets.