King Charles has called for Britain and France to weave their shared future together, expressing his "deepest appreciation" to French President Emmanuel Macron for agreeing to the unprecedented loan of the Bayeux Tapestry.

Speaking on Wednesday at the British Museum, where the 11th-century embroidered masterpiece has gone on display for the first time in the UK in almost 1,000 years, the King described the 70-metre artefact as a reminder that both nations have been bound together for nearly a millennium.

Addressing attendees partly in French alongside President Macron and Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Charles noted that while the embroidery depicts an ancient conflict and warriors crossing the Channel, it stands today as "the best possible symbol" of an "entente amicale" at a time when international trust is in short supply. He added: "May this tapestry – and the treasures that will travel in return – stand as symbols not only of our shared past, but our shared future: a future woven, as it should be, by Britain and France together."

President Macron, speaking in both French and English, remarked that arranging the loan "had required a little patience" since he first raised the prospect in 2018. Noting that the earliest British request was lodged in 1931, Macron joked that eight years of talks represented "something of a speed record", adding his hope that both countries could forge a bond as close as the embroidery's threads.

The touring party included Queen Camilla, France's first lady Brigitte Macron, Andy Burnham, and his wife Marie-France van Heel. Curators guided the group along the linen, pausing at key scenes including the coronation of Harold Godwinson and his disputed death by an arrow to the eye at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

The tapestry is scheduled to stay in London until September 2027 under a trilateral agreement between the British Museum, the UK government, and France. In return, the British Museum is sending prized artefacts across the Channel, including 7th-century items from Sutton Hoo and a selection of the Lewis chess pieces.

For audiences outside the capital, the Bayeux Around Britain programme will tour digital versions of the exhibition to museums, galleries, and castles across all four nations.

The diplomatic visit also featured in domestic politics earlier in the day. During his first Prime Minister's Questions, Burnham cited the cultural deal as proof of effective cross-Channel cooperation, linking the broader relationship to a recent drop in summer small boat crossings to a seven-year low.

The King's use of "entente amicale" echoed his speech at Windsor Castle when hosting the Macrons last July, where he first rebranded the historic "entente cordiale".

We are still awaiting the confirmed French regional venues and dates for the UK's reciprocal loan of the Sutton Hoo treasures and Lewis chess pieces. I'll continue following this story as details emerge.