The nearly 1,000-year-old Bayeux Tapestry is set to travel from France to the British Museum in London in the coming days, marking the first time the medieval masterpiece has ever been displayed in Britain. The 68-metre embroidery depicting the Battle of Hastings will be transported by truck through the Channel Tunnel at night under heavy police escort, with the exact date kept secret for security reasons.
Conservators spent over a year designing a climate-controlled, vibration-dampened crate for the journey. Once in London, roughly 80 specialists will lay the tapestry flat inside a custom glass case. The UK Treasury is underwriting an insurance guarantee of approximately 800 million pounds, or more than 900 million euros.
The exhibition runs from 10 September 2026 to 11 July 2027, and tickets through December are already sold out, with 100,000 purchased on the first day of sale. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the loan during a state visit to the UK last year, coinciding with a two-year renovation of the Bayeux museum.