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The Bayeux Tapestry arrived in Britain on Friday for the first time in nearly 1,000 years, marking a historic transfer from France ahead of a sold-out exhibition at the British Museum in London.
The 70-meter embroidered medieval artwork, which tells the story of the Norman conquest of England in 1066, was brought over under tight security after more than a year of planning between French and British authorities.
The tapestry was transported in an air-conditioned, anti-vibration crate and moved under French police escort to the Eurotunnel, the rail tunnel that links France and Britain beneath the English Channel.
After crossing into Britain, it was taken on to London under the protection of British authorities.
The French government said the transfer was carried out with "unprecedented logistical and security means," reflecting the importance and fragility of the 11th-century masterpiece.
The tapestry will now go through condition assessments before being placed in a custom-built display case at the British Museum, where the exhibition is scheduled to open on Sept. 10.
Demand has already been high, with ticket sales reaching nearly £2.5 million, or about $3.3 million, making the exhibition the museum's best-selling show to date.
France announced the loan during President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the United Kingdom last July, when he visited as a guest of King Charles III.
The move has been widely viewed as a symbol of warmer relations between France and Britain after years of tension following the U.K.'s departure from the European Union.
Writing in The Times, Macron described the loan as "a gesture of trust" and "a tangible expression of a long-standing friendship" between the two countries.
British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called the tapestry's arrival a historic moment and a significant act of friendship, while British Museum Director Nicholas Cullinan said seeing it arrive at the museum was a moment he would never forget.
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