By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-09-04 15:50:30 | Updated at 2026-09-04 16:52:58
1 hour ago
The Bayeux Tapestry is said to have arrived in Britain with minor damage after two threads were torn during its journey, prior to the unveiling of its new home at the British Museum.
France’s culture minister Catherine Pégard confirmed this morning the embroidery remains largely unchanged and was found to be broadly in the “same state” as when it left France for the first time in nearly 1,000 years.
"Two threads were reported to have broken over a length of 70 metres of tapestry,” Ms Pégard told French broadcaster RTL.
She said the artwork had been subjected to a meticulous inspection upon its arrival, with specialists examining it “centimetre by centimetre”.
“If we say today that it is in the same condition after arriving in London as it was when it left Bayeux, I don't think we are far from the truth", she added.
French newspaper La Croix echoed an initial examination by specialists had found “no major damage”.
The conservators had instead identified only “slight tears in two areas” of the linen.
English and French conservation teams carried out the inspection in July, using an advanced imaging system developed with the University of Caen, according to the newspaper.
France’s culture minister Catherine Pégard confirmed this morning the embroidery remains largely unchanged
PA
The centuries-old artwork was already known to contain 30 tears, 9,646 holes and 24,204 stains, alongside marks left by dripping candle wax.
Although commonly called a tapestry, the Bayeux work is technically an embroidery.
Dyed wool was carefully stitched onto a bleached linen backing to create its famous scenes.
The Bayeux Museum gives its length as 68.3 metres, while the height of the original linen measures 50cm, and sections with additional backing reach 70cm.
The British Museum says the embroidery was created using four coloured dyes and five different types of stitch.
Damage at one end also suggests that part of the original artwork has been lost, meaning the tapestry is almost certainly incomplete.
King Charles and Queen Camilla viewed the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum on Wednesday, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, his wife Brigitte Macron, Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and his wife Marie-France Van-Heel.
The royals and politicians stepped out into the museum’s Great Court after completing a private tour of the famous medieval artwork.
Inside the Salisbury Exhibition Gallery, lead museum curators guided the royal party and political leaders through the display step by step, stopping at key panels to detail the history stitched into the fabric.
The artwork depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, led by William, Duke of Normandy.
The public viewing follows a major international agreement between the United Kingdom and France – a cultural deal first negotiated during a formal State Visit to the UKin July 2025.
Mr and Mrs Macron visited the UK at the invitation of His Majesty, where the British and French governments announced a diplomatic exchange of historic items.
Under the terms of the cultural agreement, France agreed to permit the Bayeux Tapestry to travel across the English Channel for display at the British Museum.
In exchange, the UK agreed to send a selection of British national treasures over to France on temporary loan.
These items include historical artefacts recovered from the famous Anglo-Saxon royal burial site at Sutton Hoo.
Public viewing of the Bayeux Tapestry is available to visit now.
