Bayeux Tapestry suffers minor tear after transfer to London, French culture minister says no major damage

The Bayeux Tapestry arrived in London with two broken threads, but the damage appears to have done little to alter the condition of the nearly 1,000-year-old artwork. French and British experts examined the embroidery in detail after its transfer from Normandy.

France’s Culture Minister Catherine Pégard said the inspection found only small tears in two areas. “Two threads were reported broken along a 70-meter-long tapestry,” she told RTL. She said experts had examined the work “centimeter by centimeter.”

The first checks after the tapestry reached London showed “no visible alteration.” A more detailed examination later confirmed the “absence of major damage,” easing concerns over a journey that heritage experts had considered highly risky for such a fragile object.

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Two threads were reported broken along a 70-meter-long tapestry.

The tapestry crossed the English Channel in mid-July and was transported to the British Museum, where it is due to be displayed publicly from Sept. 10. The historic loan was decided by French President Emmanuel Macron. During a visit to London on Wednesday, Macron viewed the exhibition with King Charles III and celebrated the historical links between France and Britain.

“I can tell you that today, if we say it is in the same condition on arrival in London as it was before leaving Bayeux, I do not think we would be far wrong,” Pégard said. The tapestry is scheduled to return to France in July 2027, after which it will undergo a major restoration process that has been postponed several times.

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I can tell you that today, if we say it is in the same condition on arrival in London as it was before leaving Bayeux, I do not think we would be far wrong.