King JOKES with Macron as they attend special preview of Bayeux Tapestry ahead of loan to the UK

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The King hosted French president Emmanuel Macron for a special preview viewing of the Bayeux Tapestry - after being credited with helping to secure its loan to the UK.

The two men put on a warm display as along with Queen Camilla and Prime Minister Andy Burnham, they walked the length of the 70-metre masterpiece, which has gone on show at the British Museum in London. They were also joined by France’s first lady Brigitte Macron and Mr Burnham’s wife Marie-France van Heel.

The Tapestry – the woven record of the Norman conquest – has returned to the UK for the first time in almost 1,000 years, on loan until September 2027 as part of a special trilateral agreement between the UK, France and the museum.

The loan of the artwork has already broken records for the British Museum, with it recording the single biggest day of ticket sales in its history, generating more than £2.4million in sales in the first 24 hours.

Last night, the royal party and their guests stopped at key moments along the 11th century artwork to hear from curators about historic events such as the coronation of Harold Godwinson and the much-disputed depiction of his death by an arrow to the eye at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.