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France to Loan Bayeux Tapestry to British Museum After 900 Years

Struck during Macron’s state visit, the deal will bring the tapestry to London in 2026 in exchange for Britain’s loan of the Sutton Hoo collection and the Lewis Chessmen.

Image
FILE - This file photo taken, Sept. 18, 2019 shows a detail of the 11th century Bayeux tapestry chronicling the Norman conquest of England, in Bayeux, Normandy, France. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu, File)

Overview

  • The agreement was formalized during President Emmanuel Macron’s July state visit to the UK.
  • The 11th-century embroidery will be on display at the British Museum from September 2026 to July 2027.
  • In return, the British Museum will lend France Anglo-Saxon treasures from Sutton Hoo and the medieval Lewis Chessmen.
  • The Bayeux Museum is set to close in September 2025 for a two-year refurbishment starting after the tapestry departs.
  • Initial loan plans announced in 2018 were repeatedly delayed by conservation concerns over the fragile textile.