The British Museum has prohibited visitors from photographing the Bayeux Tapestry, reversing an earlier decision to allow photography. The ban was introduced after visitors taking pictures caused significant delays in the exhibition queues, as groups of ticketholders were slowed by people stopping along the 68-metre work. The medieval embroidery, depicting the Norman conquest of England and the Battle of Hastings in 1066, is on display in Britain for the first time and has generated enormous public interest, with visitors allocated 40-minute slots and directed to move in a single direction through the exhibition.

The 11th-century artwork—which was actually embroidered in England despite its Normandy home—arrived in London following a Franco-British agreement confirmed at a 2025 summit, with a police-escorted 350-mile journey from France. The exhibition runs until July 2027, with the British Museum funding transport costs and the UK government providing insurance. Tickets, priced up to three times higher than viewing the tapestry in Bayeux, remain sold out until 31 December, though visitors can see a full-scale replica free of charge at Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucestershire or Reading Museum.