The Bayeux Tapestry will be loaned to Britain after Emmanuel Macron agreed to let it leave France for the first time in 950 years. The president is expected to announce at an Anglo-French summit on Thursday that the artefact depicting the the Norman buildup to, and success in, the Battle of Hastings in 1066 will be loaned to the UK, probably in 2022..

Theresa May will use the decision, which has involved lengthy talks between each country’s respective culture departments, to highlight the strength in UK-French relations after Brexit. An Elysée official said the loan was agreed in principle but would not happen for several years because work needed to be done on the tapestry to ensure it was safe to move it. “It’s very symbolic for France and maybe even more for the UK,” he said. The date of the loan would probably be 2022 when, it is understood, the Bayeux Museum closes for refurbishment.One leading contender to show the tapestry would be the British Museum. Its director, Hartwig Fischer, said it would be “honoured and delighted” to display the tapestry.(theguardian)…[+]