King Charles turned to French as he welcomed Emmanuel Macron to London for a landmark meeting with one of history's most famous treasures. The King and Queen Camilla joined French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron at the British Museum on Wednesday evening to view the Bayeux Tapestry, which is being displayed in Britain for the first time.

The royal couple and the French presidential pair were also joined by Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his wife, Marie-France van Heel, as they explored the extraordinary 70-metre-long embroidery together. They were greeted at the museum by the Prime Minister and his wife, alongside George Osborne, chairman of the British Museum.

King Charles later opened his speech in French, saying he could hardly express how delighted he and Camilla were to be at the museum after seeing the celebrated tapestry. He went on to thank Macron and the French people for trusting Britain with what he described as an "unprecedented loan", recalling that he and Camilla had discussed the possibility of bringing the historic work to Britain during their 2023 State Visit to France.

Charles described the loan as the "best possible symbol" of the Entente amicale between Britain and France. The 11th-century embroidery famously depicts the events surrounding 1066, including Harold's oath to William, the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest, serving as a precious symbol of trust between the two nations today.