The King, the Queen, the prime minister and the French president visited the Bayeux Tapestry together to mark the historic return of the centuries-old artwork to the UK.
The tapestry – the woven record of the Norman Conquest – has returned to Britain for the first time in almost 1,000 years, on loan until September 2027 as part of a special trilateral agreement between the UK, France and the museum.
In a public display of warm Anglo-French relations, Charles and Camilla joined Andy Burnham, Emmanuel Macron and their wives as they walked the length of the 70-metre masterpiece at the British Museum in London on Wednesday afternoon.
The party stopped at key moments along the 11th-century artwork to hear from curators about historic events such as the coronation of Harold Godwinson and the much-disputed depiction of his death by an arrow to the eye at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
At the end of their walk, it was pointed out to them that a further 1,000 years of history are not included in the work.
Mr Burnham joked to Mr Macron, who was standing beside the King: “Made in England, they couldn’t bear to show the end… too difficult.”
The French president smiled and replied, “Happy end, we’re here,” prompting a laugh from Charles.
The King pointed out his preferred section, turning around to tell Mr Macron, “Oh, this is my favourite bit,” while pointing to a group of Normans pulling a cart.
The two men laughed as Charles said: “They’ve got an enormous amount of wine”.
The King quoted Shakespeare, saying “what is past is prologue” after looking at the tapestry.
He told the French president: “I well remember our discussing this possibility during our state visit to France in 2023.
“It is a particular joy, therefore, to see the hope become reality.
“Indeed, it is thanks to the certainty you have always had – and which I very much share – that we are here this evening in order that the tapestry should be seen, in London, for the benefit of the peoples of both our countries: the best possible symbol of that ‘entente amicale’, of which we have both spoken so fondly.”
Standing on the same podium, Mr Macron later echoed the “entente amicale” sentiment as he spoke of “advancing the UK reset” with the EU.
Addressing Mr Burnham, the French president said: “While we do not always see eye to eye, we respect one another, remain open to discussing everything, including advancing the UK reset with the European Union, always closer and together.
“And this is why I really do hope that the entente amicale he announced will inspire this new path forward.”
The three men then gave their speeches, watched by a crowd including schoolchildren, in the museum’s Great Court.
The tapestry was “most likely to have been embroidered in Canterbury by English”, Charles said, before joking: “The Bayeux Tapestry – or the Canterbury embroidery as it might just have been called… recounts a conflict, yet here it is today, nearly a thousand years later, as a precious symbol of trust, at a time when trust seems sadly to be in short supply between nations.
“I cannot help but feel that its protagonists, on both sides of the Channel, would look with satisfaction on the Franco-British gathering here today, and be pleased that our two great nations, which share such fundamental values, have prospered together – across the tides of history.
“As Shakespeare said in The Tempest: ‘What is past is prologue.’
“We have defended our values together in times of peril. We continue to do so today across the world.”
Before their arrival, Great Russell Street was lined with members of the public waiting to catch a glimpse of the leaders.
Mr Burnham waved to a crowd of journalists as he and Mrs van Heel, wearing a white dress, exited their car shortly before 6pm to wait for their companions.
About 10 minutes later, to cheers from onlookers, the King and Mr Macron drove up in one car and Camilla and the first lady, both also in white dresses, in another.
Among those who greeted the royals and the Macrons were the museum’s director, Nicholas Cullinan, and its chair, former chancellor George Osborne.
Mr Macron is the first European leader to visit the UK since Mr Burnham took office, and it is the first time they have met.
The loan of the tapestry to the British Museum has been sponsored by billionaire Igor Tulchinsky, the founder, chairman, and chief executive of the quantitative investment firm WorldQuant.
At his first Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Burnham also said: “The loaning of the tapestry is a great example of French-British co-operation, the same co-operation that has helped us reduce summer small boat crossings to a seven-year low.”
The Labour leader also said the Bayeux Around Britain programme, which will see the digital exhibition displayed in museums, galleries and castles in all four nations, would “give communities across the UK the opportunity to learn about one of the defining stories of our past”.
