Bayeux Tapestry to be loaned to Britain after French President allows it to leave France for the first time in 950 years
Emmanuel Macron is expected to make the remarkable announcement on Thursday
THE Bayeux Tapestry will be displayed in Britain after Emmanuel Macron agreed to let the extraordinary artwork leave France.
The historic loan - the first time the artwork will have left French shores for 950 years - is expected to be announced by the French President today at a meeting with Theresa May in Berkshire.
The vividly coloured embroidery measuring a massive 70 metres long and just 50cm high depicts the events culminating in the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
The hot-debated question of whether the tapestry was made in England - and is therefore returning to its natural home - is likely to be side-stepped by both leaders.
British government officials rejected suggestions that the loan of an artwork recording the most famous French victory on British soil showed anything other than proof of long-lasting friendship.
“This underlines both governments’ recognition of the depth of a relationship rooted in our shared history,” .
Two previous attempts to loan the tapestry to Britain - including at the Queen's Coronation in 1953 - did not succeed.
The director of the Bayeux Museum in Normandy said that the loan offer was subject to whether the 11th-century tapestry could be moved safely.
Antoine Verney admitted there had been background discussions with the British but said that the final project was "not going to be decided on Thursday".
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY - A MYSTERIOUS BEAUTY
With the Bayeux Tapestry set to be displayed in Britain, here are some facts about the masterpiece:
- It is nearly 70 metres (230ft) long, 50cm (1.6ft) high and made of nine panels of linen cloth.
- Although it is called a tapestry it is in fact an embroidery stitched with 10 shades of woollen yarn.
- Over a succession of scenes, it chronicles events leading up to the Norman conquest of England by William the Conqueror and culminates in the Battle of Hastings and the defeat of Harold in 1066.
- Nothing is known for certain about its origins, with the first written record appearing in the Bayeux Cathedral's inventory of treasures in 1476.
- Napoleon put it on display in Paris in 1804 and it was briefly exhibited at the city's Louvre in 1944.
- The work is currently exhibited in the Bayeux Museum in Normandy.
The embroidery has only once been moved from Normandy to any other museum since Napoleon Bonaparte put it on display in Paris in 1803, when it was briefly displayed in the Louvre in 1945 after being seized from the Nazis.
The lively artwork features short running captions in Latin and a wealth of activity in the upper and lower margins.
At the heart of the embroidery is the fight between Duke William of Normandy and Harold Godwinson to succeed Edward the Confessor as King of England.
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The Normans and English are identified by their different characteristics - the English have shoulder-length hair and moustaches but no beards, while the Normans are clean-shaven and have their hair razor-cut dramatically high at the back.
A likely move of the historic tapestry would be unlikely to come for another five years, with details for the new location as yet undecided.
The announcement is expected to be given at Sandhurst Military Academy, where leaders are also expected to discuss defence cooperation, such as the deployment of British Chinook helicopters to assist with French military operations in Africa.
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