Macron Defies Experts, Loans Fragile Bayeux Tapestry to UK

In a move that has drawn criticism from the French art world, French President Emmanuel Macron is defying expert warnings and proceeding with a loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK. Two separate studies published in 2021 and 2022 had cautioned that it was "strongly inadvisable" to transport the delicate, thousand-year-old embroidery, as any long-distance move exceeding an hour could risk causing micro-tears in the fragile material.

However, Macron claims that a new, "extremely precise" study undertaken this year has refuted the previous research and detailed how the tapestry can be safely transferred. The French president acknowledged the resistance from the art community, saying, "We called upon the world's greatest experts to explain in detail why it was impossible to carry out this process. And, believe me, we found them, and, believe me, we could have gone back and asked their opinion."

Despite the concerns, the Bayeux Tapestry is expected to be transported in June or July of 2026 and exhibited at the British Museum for a 10-month run starting in September of that year. The wall hanging, which measures 230 feet long and depicts 58 scenes, has been displayed at the Bayeux Museum in France since 1983 under carefully controlled temperature and humidity conditions to prevent deterioration.